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Another One For The Books
Nine in Beacon Hills
Permalink Mark Unread

Just another normal day for an acolyte of Ellayania, moving from town to town, answering questions and dealing with problems. Pascale's pretty used to the routine by now, and she enjoys it. Always seeing new places, solving whatever local crises she happens across. Today when she woke up her goddess informed her that there was an unknown creature traveling across the landscape a couple miles out of town, so she's going to investigate that. It's... unusual for a creature to appear and Ellayania to not know what it is. Pascale's not sure what to make of that.

After some walking and occasional whispered directional updates, she catches sight of the creature. It's some kind of large snake thing? With a... mirror for a head? What?

She's still staring in puzzlement when, faster than she can react, it charges over to her and swallows her in one gulp.

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Ellayania notes the sudden disappearance of her acolyte with some alarm. Quickly, she drops the snake-creature into a pit and seals over the earth above it.

Pascale? Are you still alive?

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"Yeah, I'm here, that thing just ate me, but I'm okay. Um. But I'm not in your domain anymore."

Where is she?

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She is at the edge of a forest. Not too far off she can see a road. It's not made of dirt or stone, but something else, and painted with yellow and white markings. 

In the distance, she can see a town. 

Deeper into the forest, if she can and does look, is a large house. 

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"Seems to be some kind of forest? Not one of our neighbors."

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Indeed not. Be cautious.

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"Aren't I always?"

If there was a god here, they would have already noticed her. Since she hasn't been addressed, she'll have to find out where she is from other sources. The town's probably a good bet, and doesn't look too far away. She starts following the road in that direction.

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Here's a car, zooming past her!

And another.

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Whoa!

She jumps out of the way. Good thing she was towards the side of the road and not the middle. Those... things seem altogether too fast to be reasonably safe. She will switch to walking by the side of the road, rather than actually on it.

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And in time, she arrives.

She can try aiming for the residential or commercial areas, if she can tell the difference.

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Commercial would probably be better, probably easier to find someone to talk to there. It's likely to be denser than residential districts and busier. Do those criteria help her find it?

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They do!

Here's a grocery store, here's a school, here's a veterinarian's office, here's a bowling alley, here are some warehouses.

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Any temples?

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Does a church count?

Probably not. It's not very big, and there's not really an indication that it's a temple.

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Pascale has one vial of holy water on a necklace, she takes it out of her shirt and Ellayania translates signs for her.

She doesn't expect a town not in any god's domain would have any big temples, this church is probably the closest she'll get. Is it open to visitors right now?

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It is! No one really seems to be going in or out, but there are cars parked outside.

Which might help her.

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She's worked out that they're a form of transportation. Which means there's probably people inside. To the door, then!

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To the door!

There are some people inside.

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It's mostly quiet. Very solemn, and the only place to put offerings seems to be in the front, where people are placing green paper.

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A very serious sort of god, then.

...Pascale doesn't actually have any appropriate offerings on her. She'll just sort of wait over to the side for a break in whatever ceremonies they're doing.

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There is apparently such a break happening right now.

The solemnity seems confined to the sitting people.

Those standing by the table with food and drinks are quiet, but much less restrained.

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One of them spots her and waves.

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She waves back, and goes over to join them.

"Hi. I'm new to the area, I was wondering if you could tell me where I am?"

An astute observer paying close attention might notice that the sound they hear is actually coming from her necklace, rather than her mouth.

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The astute observers are either sitting quietly or not paying close attention it would seem.

"The town of Beacon Hills, southern California. How'd you make your way here?"

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Pascale has never heard of a nation called California. And a quick skim through her mental library turns up no references to something called that either. Okay. She is officially Very Far From Home.

"Sort of by accident? It's kind of a weird story." Probably best not to lead with giant mirrorsnakes, at least until she knows more. "It's a lovely town. My name's Pascale, what's yours?"

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"Pascale, huh? I've never heard it before. I'm Melissa."

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"Sheriff Stilinski. Do you need help getting home?"

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"Nice to meet you. I'll be all right, don't worry. Um, could you tell me what the nearest god's domain is? I don't recognize the iconography in this church."

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"The uh, the what? The nearest god's domain?"

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"This is a Christian church, and there aren't really that many other gods around this town. No one will be rude about it, but it's either this one or no god, if you want a church or a temple in Beacon Hills."

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Only the one church in town but it's not in his domain already? Weird.

"Oh, okay. Can you tell me a little bit about this god or should I find a priest and ask them?"

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"Sorry, explain domains to me?"

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"I think you're really far from home, Pascale. We should talk away from all these people, who are from around here."

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"Sure. I don't mean to bother anyone."

Presumably they will now lead the way to someplace else?

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They lead the way.

Outside, in the parking lot, Melissa paces.

"So, first of all, people believe in one god, or sometimes many gods, but none of us have proof. Gods don't show us that they exist, we just believe anyway."

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"What kind of accident, exactly, brought you here?"

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"No, gods definitely exist, and show it. I know this because I am an acolyte of one and have met several others." She touches her necklace and the small vial hanging on it. "And I got here apparently by means of some weird snake thing with a mirror for a face. I was investigating what it was doing in my god's domain, it charged over and ate me and I ended up here. Somehow."

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"No gods here, then. Not your kind. Our gods are quieter, they don't meet people."

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"Do you need a place to stay? I can help you find something."

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"No gods? At all? That's really weird. Normally when I travel I'd just stay at the local temple but if you don't have gods here they might not do that?"

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"The church might let you stay without much explanation, but if you think you'll be wanting a more permanent option, you'll have to pay for something."

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"You could stay with me for the night, if you wanted, and we can figure out other arrangements later."

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"That's very kind of you. I don't have any local currency, so paying for things might be a problem. I could offer you some blessings for your trouble?"

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"Don't talk about blessings and domains and gods too openly, people will think you're strange at best, and it could get a lot worse. When gods don't show themselves, people argue a lot more about them."

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"How do blessings work? I definitely don't object."

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"Sounds like it might be a good reason to talk about gods more, then. Maybe if they had one who verifiably did things people would argue about them less. Blessings are small benefits a god can grant to their followers. Because I'm an acolyte, I can also hand them out. Ellayania of Libraries and Fen offers the blessings of speed, vision, stamina, memory, resistance to cold and damp, and waterwalking."

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"Walking on water?"

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"I'm going to need a minute."

He wanders off.

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"...How noticeable is the speed? I work as a nurse, if it could make me more effective but not require explaining gods right away, that would be nice."

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"It lets you move a little quicker than everyone else normally, and you'll notice your top speed increases as well. It won't boost your capabilties entirely out of standard variation, but you'll be in a higher bracket than you were."

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"Stamina would be nice, I'm not getting any younger. Can I sleep on it? I'll drive you home."

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"Melissa, how illegal is this going to be?"

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"She might need an identity. I'm trying not to think about it while I'm standing next to a cop."

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"Talk to Stiles about it, don't give me the details. I'll help her get situated in terms of housing, if she goes for something more permanent."

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He heads back inside.

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"Ready? I can show you around town, get some extra food for you."

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"Sure, that'd be great. Take your time about deciding on the blessings, no pressure. What would I need an identity for, and why would it be illegal?"

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"The government records people and their identities so that no one can use anyone else's identity to steal their authority or their power or their wealth. Manufacturing an identity would make it easier for you to do lots of things, but since you weren't born in this country, the most convenient way of doing this is to break the law."

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"I'm guessing there's not a lot of precedent for people who appear out of thin air?"

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"Snakes with mirror faces are uncommon here too."

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"My god couldn't find a single written reference to one being seen before now. Which, goddess of libraries, you know her search was thorough."

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"Okay. First thing, I take you home. Have you ever been in a car? What's your world like?"

She leads Pascale to her car.

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"I have not been in a car before! How do they work? We have horses and carts and boats and so forth for transportation, most people just walk."

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"Cars...work. They have a very flammable substance in them that they burn for power, which lets them move somehow." 

They arrive at Melissa's car, and she opens the passenger side door for her.

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"Huh! That's interesting."

That's clearly a chair there, she's supposed to sit down it it? Okay.

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"Okay, good so far. Now, do you see next to you, that strap of...cloth-like stuff hanging there, with the metal bit hanging on? That's the seatbelt. On the other side of the seat, down here, is where the metal part goes. Mind if I reach over and do it for you?"

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"I think I can get it..." It only takes a bit of fiddling to draw the seatbelt across her body and snap it into place.

"Kind of restrictive," she remarks.

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"If you haven't seen a car in motion yet, you're about to, and it's generally useful for surviving any unwanted and accidental crashes."

She sits in the driver's seat.

"The noise is kind of loud."

She starts the car.

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"Yeah, I've seen them moving around."

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So they go.

"Do you have major questions already that I can answer, or should we tell each other what our worlds are like?" 

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"My acolyte status requires my first question to be about the existence and location of libraries."

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"There is a public library in town. We can stop there now, I don't need to get home for another hour or so."

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"Could we? That'd be great!"

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So they arrive at the public library.

Melissa leads her inside. 

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The most notable thing might be the limited selection and the computers.

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Looks like a respectable number of books to Pascale. She determines the location of the nonfiction section, and begins pulling books off the shelf one at a time, flicking through each quickly before replacing it.

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"Anything specific I can help you with?"

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"I'm just trying to get these into memory so I can look at them later when I have some spare time. They're all very well crafted."

Book book flip flip.

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"Okay, one major difference between us is technology." 

She lowers her voice a bit.

"That book was not individually crafted, it was made by mass production." 

She finds her a book on assembly lines. 

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Pascale can't actually read the language yet! But she can follow along with pictures, if there are any.

"Oh, that is cool."

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Mostly diagrams, but they're fairly clear.

"There are other things about technology you should know, but we can wait until we get home." 

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"Yeah. Do you mind if we stay here for a bit? Or I can come back later, now that I know where it is."

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"We can stay, but the way public libraries work is you can check out books. We can take some home."

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"It'd be pretty hard to carry all of these. I just need a quick look at each."

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"Okay. See that on the wall? That's a clock. When that line moves all the way around the circle, like so...it starts to go back around. This one marks a minute. You can have sixty of those, and I can bring you back here tomorrow." 

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"Okay. Thanks again."

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"If there are any you like enough to take home, I'll be waiting in that sitting area."

She points it out and leaves her be. 

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Pascale is taking them all home. In a manner of speaking. She browses through the shelves rapidly and efficiently. Near the end of the hour, she prioritizes getting introductory texts.

She finds Melissa in the sitting area right on time.

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"Ready? I'll help you with those."

She chats politely with the librarian about current events. How about those poor soldiers? Isn't it sad about that natural disaster? Who's your favorite to win the Superbowl.

When they get to the car, Melissa looks expectantly at her.

"Questions?"

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"I think my next step is going to be learning how to read your language. I picked these books because they looked like they could help with that?"

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"I might not be the best at teaching you to read a new language, but we have been speaking just fine. Should I thank your god for that, by the way? You didn't mention it as a blessing." 

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"Gods are innately panlingual, she's been translating for me. Reading I'll have to pick up on my own, but I don't expect it to take too long."

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"Sure. Since we can talk just fine, teaching you to read shouldn't be a big leap. By the way, I have a son who lives at home. He shouldn't bother you too much."

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"I'll try not to scare him."

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"There are some things I should tell you about this world that not everyone knows about. Secrets. You'll need to know them if you're going to be living in this town and so obviously out of place."

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"Secrets?"

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They're in her car. Nothing is going to go wrong. She is safe, Scott is safe, everything is fine-

"In our world, there are animals. Humans are animals that are also people. People think, we reason, we suffer. With me so far?"

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"Yeah, we have that where I'm from too."

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"There are some humans who turn into other things. Like werewolves. Werewolves look like humans, but they have fur and sharp teeth and claws."

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"...We don't have that."

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"There are also hunters, humans that try to kill them. There are other things too, which I know less about. Recently, there's been a couple of murders. They might be the work of a human serial killer, keeping to a pattern. Or they might be...secret in some way."

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"This town suddenly seems like less fun. Probably none of the library books will have information about any of that?"

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"No, they won't. The snake, you don't know how it brought you here? You can't get home?"

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"No, I don't. Like I said, completely unprecedented."

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"I'll try to make your stay as safe and easy as possible. What do you need when we get home?"

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"Some time with the books first. Try to get a grip on the language and world. And maybe more information about secret things."

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"I'll leave you with the books first. Then, when you feel comfortable with the basics, I'll tell you more about the rest. What do you need to eat?"

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"Um, normal food? I don't have any special dietary requirements."

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"I thought it was worth checking. Alright, here it is."

The house is a standard size for a suburban home, though Pascale might not be expecting it.

She parks the car outside.

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Kind of big. And fancy.

She gets out of the car and waits for Melissa to lead the way inside.

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Melissa leads her inside.

"This is the kitchen, where we prepare food. This is the living room, where we sit and relax. This is the bathroom, where we, uh, take care of hygiene and similar needs. If you need toilets explained I can probably do that. Upstairs are the bedrooms."

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"I think I can figure it out. It looks like we share most basic concepts, you just have a higher tech level."

Pascale settles in the living room with her books.

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"Alright. Scott, our guest is here! I already told him you were here from the library. Using a phone. Have I shown you phones yet?"

She takes her cell phone out.

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"You have not! Long-distance communication?"

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"Long-distance communication. I press these buttons and I can talk to people who have their own."

She demonstrates the use of the buttons, but not much more.

"We can get you one if your god can't figure out how to get you home."

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"Cool!"

Also probably much more useful when she can read. To work on that project!

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Melissa proceeds to teach.

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Someone pokes his head downstairs.

"Hi. You must be the visitor. I'm Scott, her son."

 

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"Pascale. Nice to meet you."

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"How are you doing?"

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"Pretty well for having been eaten by a giant snake monster this morning and subsequently dropped into a strange dimension where werewolves apparently exist. How are you?"

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"I'm okay. What kind of foods do you like? We might have the same things."

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"I mostly eat whatever. Do you have any fruit? Fruit's nice."

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"We have fruit. Are there any fruit that are hard to get at home? They might be easier for us."

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"My god's usually willing to make me whatever if I ask nicely. Peaches are my favorite."

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"We have peaches and oranges right now, we can get others if you want. How did you enjoy the library?"

He heads to the kitchen.

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"It was fun! Lots of books. I'm sure they'll be very interesting once I can actually read more fluently."

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"Oh, was my mom teaching you? I'll leave you two alone while I handle some business. See you later."

He hands her a bowl of peach slices and heads out.

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"Teenagers, huh?"

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"Well. It might be some secret werewolf business. I always get worried when he tells me not to worry, and he's been saying it a lot the past few days."

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"Maybe he'll let me in on the secret werewolf business if I ask nicely. Since I'm sort of secret as well."

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"Oh, I'll just talk to him. Meanwhile, let's teach you to read." 

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Reading practice hooray!

She picks it up quickly, it's not long at all before she's confident in her skills. Add a quick flip through a dictionary and she's all set.

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A boy walks in the door.

"Hey Ms. McCall. And new person. Hi."

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"Hi!"

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"Oh. This is Isaac, he sort of lives with us." 

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"Sort of? Thanks new mom." 

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"Oh, you know what I mean. He's not adopted, I'm not really a foster parent, he just. Needs a place to stay."

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"You make a habit of this sort of thing, then? I'm Pascale, by the way."

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"Not any old stray, just the ones that don't bite. Well, I used to bite when they got me. All better now. What brings you here? Did you get a faulty set at the parent store?"

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"Sort of. But a more proximate cause was the giant snake monster with a mirror for a face."

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"In her world, gods are real, and they let people know it. She's an acolyte, and can hand out blessings if she wants. And if the god approves, I assume."

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"Sounds kind of terrifying but I guess blessings are cool. How do I prove my worthiness?" 

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"Gods are nice, for the most part! They can get more worshipers that way. Usually you'd give an offering or something like that, but that's not really an option right now. So since Ellayania's new in town, we'll give you one on the house, if Melissa will vouch for your character."

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"Consider carefully, Ms. McCall."

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"Yeah, no. I vouch."

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"Okay! So Ellayania of Libraries and Fen offers six blessings, enhanced speed, enhanced stamina, enhanced vision, enhanced memory, resistance to cold and damp, and waterwalking."

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"Cold."

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She puts a hand on his shoulder.

"I think resistance to cold is a good choice, but maybe you could take some time to think, Isaac." 

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"I have speed, stamina, sight- I don't want memory, I have enough to forget. Reistance to cold. How do I thank Ellayania of Libraries?" 

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"I feel that I should caution you that you still will need to wear a coat when it gets to freezing temperatures. For Ellayania to combine cold and damp she had to sacrifice some efficacy on the upper bound."

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"Waterwalking, then. Kind of poetic, and definitely fitting for the first real god in our world." 

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"If you're sure...okay. Go ahead."

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"All right. I'll need to touch you to bestow it." She holds out her hand for him.

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He takes it.

"What does that mean, anyway, resistance to damp? What happens if if rains?" 

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And lo! he is blessed. It doesn't feel like anything.

"It means getting wet doesn't bother you! Remember how I said Ellayania of Libraries and Fen? Fens make up most of her domain, and they're not always the most comfortable place for people to live, because chilly and wet. So she offers that blessing to help people out."

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"So...should I go try it? How do I know if it worked?"

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"You know it worked because I told you it would! If it was one of the other enhancements you'd be able to tell more easily. You can try it out on any body of water, just walk normally. You'll still be able to swim if you want to, too."

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"Okay. Thanks, acolyte of Ellayania." 

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"Back to reading?"

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"I think I've got the hang of it. The alphabet's straightforward enough even if your spelling gets kind of wonky sometimes. I can reliably understand the dictionary, that should get me through."

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"Okay. Should I show your where you'll be sleeping?"

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"I'm not quite ready to go to bed yet, but sure."

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So she shows her the room.

There are scrubs hanging off a chair, a laptop on the desk, and the bed is already made.

It looks like it might be her room.

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"...I don't want to kick you out of your own bed. I can sleep on the couch, that would be more than sufficient, really."

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"I can take the couch, don't worry. We'll find something more sustainable tomorrow."

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"Well, if you're really sure. Thank you."

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"Okay, what kind of things did you like to do back home? I'm sure we can find something to entertain you, until Scott gets back."

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"I mostly traveled around making sure people's problems were being handled. Kind of the job of an acolyte. Ellayania's technically omnipresent in her domain, but she's not paying attention to literally everything at once, and some people are more comfortable if I act as an intermediary. I'll ask Scott about his secret werewolf stuff when he gets back, but until then I should probably take some time to actually go through and properly read those books I was looking at in the library."

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"Okay, sounds good. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

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"I am going to be looking for some water. Have fun reading."

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"I will! Bye."

Pascale sits crosslegged on the couch and closes her eyes. She calls up an image of the library as she saw it early, opens the door, and steps in. Everything is exactly how it was, the librarian behind the counter, the patrons in the reading area, the computers sitting on their tables, all the books on their shelves. She goes to the aisle she was in, and with a thought, the shelf rearranges so that all the books she actually saw the inside of are grouped together. She skims the titles, picks a modern history book, and starts reading it, processing the data she had already gathered.

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They leave her alone for a few hours.

Isaac comes back home after an hour, but lets her focus.

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And after a few hours, Melissa interrupts her.

"Pascale? Are you hungry?"

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Pascale lets the library dissolve around her, then opens her eyes and blinks, back on the couch. She smiles up at Melissa.

"Hmm, yeah. I could eat."

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"We usually have dinner later on Sundays. Today is Sunday, that's a day of the week. I don't have work on Sundays, and the boys don't have school or work."

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"Okay. Do you need help cooking or setting the table or anything?"

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"No, you're a guest. We have it covered. Try distracting Isaac by telling him about your world, he'll probably start telling you about secret werewolf business."

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Hee.

"All right." And where might Isaac be found?

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Isaac is upstairs, apparently trying to walk on a thin layer of water in the bathtub.

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"How's that working out for you?"

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"I guess I wasn't thinking deeply enough."

He steps out, drying off.

"What do you want?"

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"Nothing in particular, really. Just wanted to talk. You know, guest to impromptu guest."

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"I'm not really impromptu. Scott mostly decided I had to stay here since I didn't have anywhere else to go, and I thought it would be nice, so now I just live here."

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"Guess that sort of thing must run in the family. It's really generous of them. Back home if you didn't have anywhere else you could always stay at a temple. Ellayania's pretty good about making sure her followers are taken care of."

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"We have some public places like that, but you can't just look at a place and know for sure."

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"That seems like something that should be fixed. I will add it to the list." She nods firmly.

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"Some churches can offer that, and there are homeless shelters. You should check out what we have to find out how we're doing so far."

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"So it sounds like there's not a systematic solution, and one thing gods are really good at is systematic solutions."

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"You'd know better than I would, but makes sense. What do people do if they're not acolytes?"

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She shrugs. "People things? Pretty ordinary people things, as far as I can tell. They work, they cook, they play politics, they make art, they raise children. They don't become werewolves, that's just a you guys thing."

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"I figured. Did you have time for any of that?"

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"I mean, if I'd wanted to I could've. But acolyting is more interesting and Ellayania's fun to work for and maybe at some future point I will change my mind but for now I'm happy."

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"I wouldn't be in school anymore if I could sell my services as a werewolf, but we're secret." 

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"What can werewolves do? I've read some folktales about them but they're not very coherent."

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"Enhanced senses, superhuman strength, speed, we can take away pain, and all of that is when we're in human form. If we do the transformation, same stuff but better."

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"Sounds like a pretty good deal. I'm guessing there's a downside?"

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"Violent urges, especially with the full moon. Worth it, for me."

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"How violent and how urgent are we talking here?"

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"You think about killing most of your problems before anything else, and when you're not using an anchor to control your emotions, it's hard not to transform and attack something."

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"Oh. Huh. Don't think I'd trade that for acolyting. How much are werewolves like regular wolfs, the stories talked a lot about packs?"

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"Real wolves only have packs when cornered and kept captive. Werewolves always have packs. Maybe that says something. Maybe philosophy is a waste of time. Anyone's guess."

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"Are you and Scott in a pack together then?"

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"Uh. I don't think we can be. He's not an alpha."

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"You're not in the same pack with somebody else as alpha?"

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"Scott doesn't have a pack, and I have Derek."

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"Why doesn't he have a pack? Or should I be asking him? Or not asking him, I have no idea what the etiquette here is, stop me if I'm being rude or something."

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"Derek killed his alpha, and then Scott rejected Derek, and Derek didn't force him to join his pack."

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Blink.

"...That sounds like a story."

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"Family stuff. Not my business, really. Ask Scott."

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"Okay. " She tilts her head curiously. "Do you want to see the first time I met Ellayania?"

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"Yeah, sure. Could be fun."

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She smiles and holds out her hand.

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He takes it.

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And then he is standing at the foot of a mountain pass, peaks towering in the distance behind him. In front of him stretches a watery lowland, wreathed in dense fog. He can see the tops of trees poking up here and there. He feels a sense of satisfaction, anticipation. He's traveled a long way to get here. Smiling, he resumes walking.

The fog wraps around him, cutting visibility to near nothing. It's cold, he shivers slightly despite his warm clothes. He hears a muted splash as something large enters the water nearby. Then from everywhere and nowhere, a voice rings out.

"Hello there. I don't get too many visitors coming in over the mountains. Most people take a ship."

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He starts when the voice begins, but quickly pulls himself together.

"I don't really get along so well with oceans," he says.

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"I see." The voice is amused. "What brings you to my domain, then? Or have you come by accident?"

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"Curiosity, mostly. And I was bored of deserts."

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"From Raezenoth, then? That is quite a trip, young one. I applaud your determination. Allow me to guide you towards the town."

Off to his left, the fog rolls back, revealing a pathway.

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And then he's back in Scott's house, Pascale has taken her hand back and is smiling at him.

"And that's how it happened!"

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"Curiosity and determination, huh? I don't think I'm her type. Good for you though. Must be nice to have a god on your side, someone powerful who you can agree with on stuff." 

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"She likes people with a desire to learn, who ask questions. She's usually able to answer them, too. But even if you're not specifically a knowledge-seeker yourself, as long as you understand and have respect for the drive, she would welcome you."

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"Curiosity was the kind of thing my dad put me downstairs for. It's perfectly nice for other people to have. Do you want to try doing any non-acolyte things? I can play some music, that's probably a little different." 

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...Whoops.

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"Yeah, music would be nice."

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He takes out his phone.

"This is classical music, all instrumental. This one was composed by Chopin, it was my dad's favorite."

And he plays it. 

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"It's pretty. What instrument is it?"

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"Violin. It's a stringed instrument, there's the wooden part that's hollow and the strings that have to vibrate just right."

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"Mmm, yeah." She thinks for a second then sketches the shape in the air with her hands. "And it looks like this?"

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"Yeah. There are a few like it, cello, bass, and the guitar- there were more recent updates to that model."

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"Cool. Do you have any other music?"

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"Something loud, fast, slow? Pick your poison."

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"Something fast!"

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He plays "Camisado" by Panic! at the Disco.

He kind of gets into it. The dance is just too amazing to reproduce in text.

 

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Heeee. This is great.

"We don't have music like that! Listening to more of your music is definitely going on the list."

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"You might want to ask more than one person what to listen to. I'll try to get you an overview. Hmm. Scott should be home by now, I'll go check downstairs. You can check out the bathroom and bedroom and that whole situation, see how it compares."

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"Okay."

Off to tour the aforementioned rooms! Anything uniquely special about them?

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Mostly standard. If she's used to indoor plumbing and beds, they're not that exciting.

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Beds are standard enough, indoor plumbing and running water is newish, but easy enough to figure out. Okay. Downstairs to the others, then.

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There's Scott.

"I heard you wanted to learn more about werewolves."

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"You heard correctly."

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"Okay. Where do you want to start? Local politics, strengths, weaknesses..."

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"Isaac gave me a rundown of physical characteristics. Why don't we start with politics?"

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"Do werewolves have politics?"

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"Packs usually have politics, we have less of that here. But we have hunters to deal with."

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"Hunters are people who kill werewolves, right?"

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"The major players are Derek Hale, Chris and Allison Argent, Mrs. Morrell, Peter Hale, and us. There's also a new pack in town, but we don't know much about them." 

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"Who's who, in that list? I've only met like four people in this town."

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"Derek is my alpha- was my alpha? Peter was Scott's, he killed Derek's sister, also his niece, then Derek killed him. He just does things. The Argents hunt werewolves, stay away from them. Mrs. Morrell is just our guidance counselor, not sure why she makes the cut." 

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"She and Dr. Deaton are brother and sister, and they're in the same line of work. I don't know the full story. Dr. Deaton is a druid, they do magic, sort of."

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"Sounds complicated. What's the latest drama? I'm assuming with all those players there is more or less always something happening."

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"Not always, but I've been involved for less than a year and there have been a lot of dead. Recently, our main concern is the new pack and the string of murders that we don't have a great explanation for." 

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Pascale frowns about the dead people.

"What can you tell me about either or both of those things?"

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"For the murders, you'll want to talk to Stiles. I'll introduce you tomorrow. The pack, they mostly seem to be in town to scare me and Derek." 

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"What benefit do they get from that?"

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"I can't really talk to them, every time we meet they threaten us. Maybe someone who seemed unconnected and innocent would be safe, I don't know."

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"Worth a try. Do you know where they came from, their names, any other details?"

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"The leader is called Deucalion. There are two of them at our school, Ethan and Aiden."

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"...That's all?"

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"There's two more. They're all...different, for werewolves. They call themselves the 'alpha pack'."

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"Different in what way? Please remember that unless your mother or Sheriff Stilinski are werewolves, I have met a grand total of two. Briefly."

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"Most werewolves are normal. These werewolves all have unusual powers. The twins combine to form one bigger werewolf. Deucalion is really strong when he transforms, too."

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Blink blink.

"Uh. Hm. I might want to wait until Ellayania can set up a bit of her domain here before talking to them, then."

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"How does that work?"

Melissa sends Scott off to get dinner ready, apparently deciding that this is enough Explaining Werewolves for one night.

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"Well, gods have avatars and so forth that they use to talk to people, but that's not really them. What they are, essentially, is landscape. When they claim a piece of land, it becomes part of them and they control it absolutely, right down to weather and mineral composition. I have some of Ellayania's holy earth with me, so if I find a good spot and dump it out, she can start claiming land from there. It'd be faster if I more, but," she shrugs. "We make do with what we have."

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"Is the only thing that can claim a domain another god? Or should we find you a spot unclaimed by humans and werewolves, too?"

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"Yeah, it would only matter if it was already another god's domain, but it might be a good idea to find an unclaimed-by-people spot just to minimize potential complications. The other thing that would happen is the terrain and biome of the area shift to the god's type. Ellayania's is fens, as you may have picked up from her title."

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"I think somewhere by the river, then. I'll show you tomorrow."

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"Okay!"

Is it dinner time now?

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It is dinner time!

They're having casserole.

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Mmm, casserole. The gist of the dish is familiar to Pascale, even if the exact recipe is not.

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"So if Ellayania gets a domain around here, are we supposed to worship her?"

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"That's the traditional thing to do when a god sets up nearby! But it's not obligatory or anything, she wouldn't force anyone to who didn't want to. But she's a helpful god and it would be a good way to say thanks if she does something nice."

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"What are good ways to thank her? Does she want prayers, some kind of offerings, would dedicating things to her work?"

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"Does he get a blessing?"

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"Offerings and prayers work! She wants to know you're thinking about her. Scott can have a blessing if he would like a blessing. Scott, would you like a blessing?"

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"Okay. How do blessings work? What do I give as an offering?"

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"Blessings are various minor physical or mental enhancements bestowed by a god. Ellayania offers the blessings of strength, stamina, vision, memory, resistance to cold and damp, and waterwalking. For offerings, there's not really a standard thing. Gods like it if you put some thought into it, though. My first offering to Ellayania was the shoes I'd walked to her domain in, to symbolize my intent to stay."

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"What does she value the most? Is there a way for her to tell us what she wants from us?"

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"She values knowledge, and those with a desire to seek it. But she welcomes all who wish to worship her. Within her domain, she can answer any questions you have directly. There's really no right or wrong answer to the question 'what should I give as an offering', it's a subjective thing that only you can really answer."

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"I don't think I have much knowledge she wouldn't, besides werewolves and stuff. Does telling you about that count as an offering, if I was doing it anyway?"

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Pascale laughs.

"It's the spirit more than the substance, Scott. You're not going to get smited if you don't give the absolute perfect offering."

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"Nice goddess. Blessings and no smiting. I think I want memory."

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"Okay." She reaches over and boops him on the nose. "There you go! It's not retroactive, but you probably won't need to study for school as much now."

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"Thanks Pascale. Thanks Ellayania."

He gets started on the dishes.

"So what do you want to know right now?"

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"So the new pack are scary. Tell me about Derek."

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"Derek knew the pack was coming before they got here. He didn't warn us, because he thought they were only here to hurt him. They went after his betas, Erica and Boyd. Boyd escaped, and so did Cora, Derek's sister. He thought she was dead, but she was okay. Boyd and Cora are safe now. Erica did die, while the alpha pack had her. Isaac is also Derek's beta, but they don't get along so much lately."

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"Boyd is a good guy. Derek isn't. He tries, sometimes, but he's too angry and too passive all at once."

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"Mm. Not exactly desirable qualities in a leader. That leaves the hunters and the druids."

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"There aren't many left, now, and Allison didn't grow up with it, her parents didn't want her to grow up cruel or unable to handle people. But they won't necessarily help us or hurt us, they're unpredictable."

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"But possible to talk to? Maybe if I don't associate myself with you too strongly in advance. How do the druids factor in?"

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"Dr. Deaton is with us, Ms. Morrell is not. She might be an ally if you talk to her, I don't know what she wants."

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"Hm. Okay. So, things to do: talk to alpha pack, talk to Derek, talk to hunters, talk to Ms. Morrell. At least two of those I'm going to want to have Ellayania's domain as an option on, so first thing is find a spot for that. You two have school tomorrow, that's also going to affect at least Ms. Morrell and two of the alpha pack, what about the others?"

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"Allison will be there too. If you want to enroll, or pass as a teacher, we can help."

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"I don't think I want to commit to something like that just yet. There's still a lot I don't know about this town, the freedom of movement is too potentially useful to pass up."

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"Okay. I can't think of any other way for you to meet the alpha pack, but you can probably run into Ms. Morrell, Mr. Argent and Derek around town."

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"Yep. And I was planning on avoiding the alpha pack for now anyway. What are school hours?"

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"Eight to three. You'll have the house to yourself, mostly, but you're free to spend your time wherever, as long as you're careful."

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"I'm always careful. I'll probably go looking for that river, and stop at the library."

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"Alright, good luck. Me and Isaac should do our homework, we'll talk more tomorrow."

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"See you tomorrow."

Pascale continues reading the books she has stored. She goes off to bed around the same time as the others. Before she falls asleep, she whispers a recap of the days events, with her added commentary, to the vial around her neck. Shiny new place with shiny new people and shiny new books, good opportunity to expand Ellayania's influence, the people here are nice enough so far, claiming some domain here should be impressive, there's some interesting problems here to solve.

She wakes early in the morning, not long after sunrise, and heads downstairs in search of breakfast.

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Scott has poured himself some cereal, but there are some bagels and some fruit if she isn't interested.

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Milk and cereal gets a funny look from her.

She goes for a pair of oranges and a bagel.

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"Do you want me to drop you off by the river before school?"

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"If you have the time, sure."

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"It's not too out of the way, no. How does getting a domain started work, is it fun?"

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"It can be if the god does it quickly, but she's not starting with very much, so it will be a slow process. It'll take most of the day to get a noticeable size."

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"Okay. When we're done with breakfast, I'll drop you off. Do you want me to pick you up, too?"

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"No, it shouldn't take me too long to find a good spot and then I'll probably walk around town for a bit afterwards."

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Isaac rushes downstairs and grabs a bagel.

"I'm up, I'm here. Is Stiles coming by with the jeep or are we taking the bike?" 

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"Jeep, Pascale is coming along since mom already left, and there's no way she can make good time walking to the river."

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"Ready? Stiles should be here in a minute."

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"Yep!"

She finishes up the bagel, and pockets the other orange.

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Look who's coming through the front door without knocking. This guy.

"Hey, we ready to go?"

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"Yeah. Stiles, this is Pascale, she's coming with us." 

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"Hello Stiles!"

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"Hey. She a new student that your mom adopted?"

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"Funny. We're dropping her off in town."

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It's a fairly short trip by car.

The boys leave her by the river with some local cash, for any town adventures she wants to have.

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She smiles and thanks them, then starts searching up and down the bank. She's looking for someplace secluded, yet accessible. Unlikely to be disturbed

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There's this spot here, looks to be about equidistant from the center of town and that decrepit mansion deeper in the woods.

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Yeah, seems decent enough. Pascale bends over and retrieves a vial from her boot, identical to the one around her neck, and empties it on the ground.

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The small pile of earth sinks into the ground, melding with its surroundings.

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There's that done, then. Good. Now, which way to town.

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Town is this way, through the trees.

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Off she goes, then.

Now that she can read, first step is noting the locations of useful buildings and major landmarks.

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Soon, she has mapped out most of the town.

The hospital, the police station, the school, the warehouse district, and the all important bowling alley.

The library is right where she left it.

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How kind of it to stay put. She goes back inside to flip through more books.

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None of the books mention anything about werewolves, but there are a few books on most topics.

World history, religion, anatomy, and physics seem well-represented.

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Pascale approves of the selection, and spends the rest of the morning in the library. She's just about finished by lunchtime. She heads out to find a bench to eat her orange on.

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There is a bench. 

There is also a woman watching her.

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Pascale flashes her a smile as she sits, then turns most of her attention to peeling and eating the orange.

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"Are you new to town?"

The woman stands next to the bench, possibly waiting for the bus.

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"I am! Just arrived yesterday."

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"I heard. You made quite a splash. It really shook the earth underneath our feet." 

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She laughs softly.

"It wasn't nearly so impressive from my perspective. Odd, yes, but not earth-shaking. I'm Pascale, by the way. What's your name?"

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"Marin Morrell. I work at the local high school, though I decided to step out for a bit."

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Aha. She knew it.

"It's nice to meet you. Any helpful tips for a newcomer?"

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"You might find it easier to make allies if you and your...friend...were more subtle. I'm sure you didn't expect anyone to notice, and most people didn't. Something to think about. Enjoy your food. I'll see you around sometime."

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"I look forward to it."

Hm, vaguely ominous but not overtly hostile. A good sign? Perhaps. Her readings indicated a connection between druids and nature, so it makes sense that one of them would notice a new god showing up. Might be best to keep the size of Ellayania's domain here on the small side for now, the fact that it exists and she has a place to run to may be enough. She murmurs words to this effect in her native language, and Ellayania agrees, inaudibly to others.

Nom nom orange nom.

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She can eat in peace.

Does she want to do anything else before she heads home?

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Not much point heading back before the boys get out of school. She'll wander around some more.

And take a closer look at the bowling alley. It's an unfamiliar game to her. Is it open?

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It is open. Fairly quiet, though.

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There are lanes, wooden polished floors upon which balls roll at varying speeds, trying to fulfill their lifelong ambitions by knocking over pins.

Some do not realize their dreams.

A modern tragedy.

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Aww, that's so sad!


Apparently this costs money. Fortunately, she was given some. But does she have enough?

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She has enough for bowling!

How exciting. Doesn't look like that leaves her much for anything else, but she should be fine.

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She will be! Ellayania's domain is big enough by now that she can produce just about anything Pascale would want. And then she can trade for favors.

Bowling! It takes her a few sets to get a feel for throwing the ball, but once she gets it down she executes perfectly every time.

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And eventually, school lets out. 

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She should probably head back, then. She puts her ball back on the rack, changes her shoes, and sets off.

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They'll be waiting for her at home.

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"Hey, come on in," he says, opening the door before she can knock.

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"Hi! How was school?"

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"Unstimulating and aggravating." 

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"Fine. How was your day?"

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"It was good. I found a nice spot for Ellayania and finished with the library. I met Ms. Morrel outside," and she describes the interaction.

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"Are you okay? We should take you to see Dr. Deaton, she might have done something that you didn't notice."

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"So she is actually magic? I wasn't sure."

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"I'm fairly sure no one was there when I started the domain, but she knew about it anyway. What's sort of thing might she have done?"

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"She could be trying to get you alone again, only somewhere less private. Tracking, maybe, or something to try to exploit your connection to Ellayania."

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"And Dr. Deaton would be able to tell if something like that were happening?"

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"He is actually magic."

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"He's a druid and he helps us out a lot."

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"Okay. Let's go."

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"Okay. Do you mind taking the bike? Isaac, you don't want to come, do you?"

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"I guess. Someone has to do our homework, though it probably shouldn't be me."

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"We'll work on it when I get back."

He leads her to the garage, where his bike is waiting.

He hands her a helmet, and demonstrates its use.

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She dons it comfortably and shows only a calm anticipation regarding the ride.

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Good for her!

They arrive outside the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic.

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"Ready?"

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"As I'll ever be, I suppose."

And just what is she going to do if she does have some sort of hostile magic hanging on her? Well, maybe Deaton will be able to reverse it. It depends on what exactly it is.

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"Scott, what are you doing here? I'm sure you have better things to do thank keep an old man and some animals company. Who's this?"

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"This is the woman I mentioned. Can we come in?"

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"Of course."

He slides his foot across the doorway, his shoe disturbing a line of dust.

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Scott steps in.

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Pascale follows.

"Hello. I'm Pascale, if Scott didn't mention."

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"He told me a few things. Describe the creature that attacked you?"

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"It was like a snake, but much bigger. And it had a mirror for a face."

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"And you say it ate you? That's the last thing you remember?"

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"I was there, it ate me, I was here. Ellayania said she killed it, right after that."

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"Fascinating. It doesn't sound local, though. I suppose the details can remain a mystery.  Are you in the market for ways back home, or did you want to see if we can establish contact between our worlds?"

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"I'd like to go back, eventually. But it sounds like this place has some problems of its own. I want to try to do something about them. I brought a piece of my goddess with me, so getting back is not as urgent as it could be."

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"What's that like, carrying a piece of your god? What kind of relationship do you have with her?"

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"It's like I have an awareness of her, in the back corner of my mind. I know she's watching me. She trusts me to represent her well, and I know she will help me when I need it."

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"Is yor goddess interested in solving our problems, or is that you? Are you asking for her help, or is she encouraging you?"

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"It's mostly me! It's sort of the point of an acolyte. She has a big plate, but there's still a lot on it. She helps when I ask, but she leaves me to decide what to do and how."

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"Which problems are you most concerned about? We have recently become home to a serial killer of sorts." 

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"There's a whole list. Serial killers are distressing. Scott said I should talk to Stiles about that, but I haven't had a chance yet."

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"What brought you to me?"

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"I suggested it. Ms. Morrell ran into her outside the library."

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"What exactly did she say?"

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"I can show you, if exact behavior is important," Pascale offers, holding out her hand.

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Well. He takes her hand.

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And then he is on a bench near a bus stop, experiencing the interaction with Ms. Morrel through Pascale's own eyes, with complete fidelity.

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That sure is a thing.

"Thank you. I think she was warning you. Maybe she was even trying to warn me, depending on what she knows...we'll have to be careful until we know more. Do you want more information about the current conflicts in town?"

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"That would be helpful, yes!"

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"Most worrying are the ritual murders, which are a mystery, but can be identified by a patter to the method that we're starting to notice. Another major concern is the alpha pack, who seem willing to kill to get what they want."

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"What's the pattern?"

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"So far, there have been five deaths. The methods to kill the first three differed from those used for the last two murders, and each set of three, will, I expect, have some distinguishing characteristic. The first three were all virgins, the last two were both military. I believe we are dealing with a Darach." 

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"I'm not familiar with the term."

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"A mockery of what Druids stand for, a Darach tries to wield the magic of nature for their own warped purposes. Revenge, murder, violations of one kind or another- that is how a Druid becomes a Darach." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I see. Can you tell if people are using that sort of magic in the area? Some kind of divination?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's unlikely. Magic is rarely useful for gathering knowledge. I've had to rely on rumors, oral tradition, and my own exploration for that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's unhelpful. What sorts of things can your magic do?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Protection, poison, healing, and changing shape."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sounds like sort of the same things as werewolves."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You could say werewolves originated as a pet project of druids- and then others decided to sabotage it so their ideas could take root, others tried to steal it, and yet others tried to bury it."

That's his best theory, anyway.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Messy. So this Darach, if it is one. What would their purpose be? What do they gain from killing?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"The Darach and the Druid can both gain power through ritual. Most likely, the Darach will kill three people for every one thing it wants power to accomplish. The number three gives power to the ritual, and blood...blood is always the easiest route to power. Someone desperate and vengeful and heartless enough with the knowledge of a Druid would try that first."

Permalink Mark Unread

"They should be stopped. Any way to do that short of finding them?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't have anything. This Darach has clearly amassed a great deal of power that I don't have already." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll find them, then. Any common identifying characteristics?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Do you believe you could teach your goddess to identify magic? It might be more useful for her than for me, finding people that way." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Depends how hard it is. Does it take any special aptitude?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, I can just tell you what to look out for. I just expect her to have more ability to find people than I do."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, she doesn't have an avatar here yet, so it'd be just me walking around, really."

Permalink Mark Unread

"How long do avatars take?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It varies. Human ones are complicated and expensive, animals are less so."

Permalink Mark Unread

"An animal with her intelligence behind it could be very useful for sensing magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. What sorts of birds are common here?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Pigeons and crows are fairly ubiquitous."

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale listens to her vial a moment, then says "She'll make a pigeon. What does she have to look for?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"The signs of heavy magic use are subtle, since magic is so limited. A major sign is the way plants and animals react to our intent and our will. The more complex the mind, the less passive influence we have. But a Darach will have plants turn to them and animals follow them. These signs can be fairly subtle, when magic is not being actively used, but they are always there if you look."

Permalink Mark Unread

"We'll keep an eye out for that. Can I offer you a blessing as thanks?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I would appreciate that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You can have your pick of stamina, speed, vision, memory, cold and damp resistance, or waterwalking."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I could use stamina. I'm not getting any younger."

Permalink Mark Unread

Poke!

"There you go! Ellayania will probably drop by later, if that's okay with you. Scott, can we go visit Stiles?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sure. Thanks for your help, Dr. Deaton."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Goodbye!"

Back to the motorcycle?

Permalink Mark Unread

To the motorcycle!

Lots of wind blowing through everyone's hair, it's quite spectacular. 

And there's a house. 

Permalink Mark Unread

And here is somebody climbing out the window.

"Hey. So what's going on?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Pascale wanted to hear about your theories, I think."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Oh! Yeah, so the murders are all linked, that's obvious, because the murderer has the same MO- for every three deaths. Then it changes. Each group of three is connected by something. The first was virgins, not sure what the next one is. Druids get power from symbols, and three is a good number."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Dr. Deaton thinks this group's commonality is that they're all military. So if we know motive, what do we have about method and opportunity?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"The method used to kill seems mundane. Blow to the head, knife to the throat. But the way the killer tracks and captures its victims has to be some kind of magic, it's too complete at restricting their movements."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Any suspects so far?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Besides Ms. Morrell? No."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Anyone who found out about magic could do this." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Is there any pattern to where the victims were killed?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not really? They've been killed where they work and live, mostly." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's inconsiderate of the killer. Well, hopefully Ellayania will be able to spot something. Any other insights on this town's copious problems?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Werewolves besides Scott suck, hunters besides Allison suck, druids besides Deaton suck."

Permalink Mark Unread

Thank you, Stiles, for your nuanced and thoughtful perspective.

"Noted." She address both Stiles and Scott. "Since Ellayania will have her avatar her tomorrow, I think I want to go to school rather than keep poking around outside. Thoughts?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sure. You can meet all the important people who waste their time pretending to be students and teachers. I'll help you get enrolled." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"And here was me worried that would be hard. What do I have to do?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Getting enrolled is easier if you have parents, but I can help you fake parents. Or you can try substitute teacher, they're young." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm probably significantly older than you think I am, if that's relevant."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, as long as you can convince people you're in your mid-twenties and be reasonably pretty, you can sub." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Should be doable."

Permalink Mark Unread

"So is our illegal plan ready?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Pascale? Should I just get you what you'll need to impersonate an educator?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"That'd be helpful, yeah. How long will it take?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Give me tonight and tomorrow to get it together." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Cool. I like it when things are easy like that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Anything else you wanted to do before we go?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not unless Stiles has any questions for me...?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"How do you get your hair like that?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale leans in close and whispers solemnly in his ear, "Magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

"If that's everything, we should go." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. Bye, Stiles!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Bye. Try not to enjoy yourself too much while I'm gone."

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott drives her home.

Permalink Mark Unread

"So, anything exciting happen when you left me behind?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not really, just Stiles. Meet your new substitute teacher."

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale smiles cheerily at Isaac.

"Starting the day after tomorrow!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"What subject?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think subs usually can do a couple of things. Pascale, what's your first choice?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Math would be easiest, the concepts are mostly the same, just have to translate the symbols. I don't think I could convincingly fake music, much as I'd like to. Geography or history would be okay. I should probably stay away from the sciences, you're too far ahead of what I'm used to."

Permalink Mark Unread

"History would be okay for a little bit, but you might miss something obvious...math is probably easier, you should do a review of high school level math to make sure it looks familiar. My textbooks are upstairs, we can look at them now."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sure, let's go."

Permalink Mark Unread

So he shows her. 

Nothing beyond differentiation!

If she understands basic calculus, she should be fine. 

Permalink Mark Unread

The framing of the logic is in slightly different terms, but it's simple enough to grasp. Rates of changes that are themselves changing. It helps that her visualization abilities are better than most.

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think you're better at math than me, which is really above and beyond for a substitute teacher. I hope Stiles doesn't do anything too illegal."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Isn't he the son of the sheriff?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, but I don't think he'll tell him anything about you." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"The sheriff already knows about me, he was at the church when I met your mom."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Oh. She and I should probably talk, we haven't really. Okay, I'll tell Stiles." 

He texts this information and then glances at the clock.

"I think it's almost time for dinner. Do you feel okay about the math right now?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Communication is important, Scott. Your mother worries about you, I think math and I are getting along fine."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. I'll make dinner and we'll talk when she gets home." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Isaac is zoned out in front of the tv when they get downstairs. 

"Oh, are we food now?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah. Any preferences, Pascale?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Something exotic and local."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Do you like fish? There's nothing more California and exotic than sushi." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sounds good!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"You don't mind waiting half an hour, do you? We usually wait for my mom unless she has a late shift." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, that's fine."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. If it's your first time having it, I should probably take you out, have something fresh and authentic. Uh, did my mom take you clothes shopping?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"She did not."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Um. Isaac, do you want to help?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's a little late to go shopping. Stiles will need a day to forge everything anyway, or talk to his dad, whichever. Tomorrow after school. I'll take her."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. Do we need the trusty Jeep?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Actually, I was thinking I could have Derek take us." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you're sure? That sound okay to you, Pascale?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, I'd like to meet him."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Derek can be prickly. He doesn't trust most people, so be careful. If Isaac introduces you it shouldn't be too bad." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm always careful."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Try not to flirt with the students."

Permalink Mark Unread

"She won't flirt with the students! You won't, right?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"She said she's older than she looks. How old are you?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I stopped keeping track somewhere in the mid-thirties. And I'm making no promises of any sort about flirting."

Permalink Mark Unread

"An older woman, huh? Better keep her away from Stiles. And Derek."

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale grins, and winks at Isaac.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Right. I'm going to go pick up our order, it should be ready soon. Try not to burn down the house."

Permalink Mark Unread

"We'll do our best."

Permalink Mark Unread

So they wait. 

"What's your plan, now that you're here? You can't just want to fix all our problems, what can we offer you?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Is it so hard to believe? I do like helping."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's impressive. Most people would be looking to get what they wanted, first. I suppose establishing a domain is kind of like that? Or does your world just have less problems?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It does have fewer problems. It also has fewer people, which is likely related. Aside from that, I do seem to be stuck here and might as well make the best use of my time. Which, yes, does include expanding Ellayania's domain here, but that benefits I think everyone over the long term. And I do genuinely enjoy helping people and solving problems."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ellayania seems like a good goddess, if we had to get one. But what if there are no other gods? Could the whole world become her domain?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"She is a good goddess! As for making the whole world her domain, hmm... I suppose it's theoretically possible, but she probably wouldn't do it. There might be people who don't want to live in her domain and she wouldn't force them to. Plus, biodiversity loss."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What is her domain like? What kind of things live there?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, her terrain type is wetlands, so things typical to swamps and marshes and so forth. She tends to keep it on the cooler side, and it's often rainy and very foggy. There's lizards and frogs and different birds. Lots of plant life."

Permalink Mark Unread

Here's Isaac with their food!

He lays it all out on the kitchen table.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Can she incorporate existing stuff? Could she use the woods that already exist and keep some of those animals?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hmm... yes, but it'd be harder? Wetlands have certain characteristic soil chemistries that not everything is happy living with. She could maintain an altered state but it'd be significantly more work than not doing that."

Pascale migrates foodwards. What is on offer?

Permalink Mark Unread

"That makes sense. Can she stay away from the forest and spread deeper into town instead? That would help preserve the local wildlife." 

There is raw fish! It's very pretty, for raw fish. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale will base her selections entirely upon their aesthetic value then. Clearly this will be a winning strategy.

"She could, but without believers here she won't be expanding anywhere very far or fast."

Permalink Mark Unread

They all sit down to eat.

"Who counts as a believer? Can you check if I'm a believer?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's not really something you check, there's no outward signs. It's a private relationship between you and the god."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay, but I'm not sure how it works with gods that exist? All the religions here have gods that don't do anything- or they do everything, and they're not very good, then. How does believing in a real God work? Do I have to agree with her and respect her, or is just knowing about her enough?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's sort of- knowing about her and actively engaging with that knowledge? You don't have agree with her about everything."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Can you tell us more about what she cares about? Why does she like swamps? What does she admire about you, to make you an acolyte?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"All gods have a certain terrain type or biome associated with them, it's not really something they choose. Ellayania likes knowing things, having a wealth of knowledge at her fingertips, the answer to every question as soon as it is asked. She likes me for my can-do spirit and boundless enthusiasm, of course."

Permalink Mark Unread

"So if we think of her whenever we do things involving knowledge or learning, that counts as believing?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It would!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"So say I don't like school, and say I think of her then. Is that like blasphemy?"

Permalink Mark Unread

And there's the garage.

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott reheats her portion. 

"What's your job as an acolyte? Are you supposed to spread her domain?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Blasphemy is not exactly a very coherent concept in this context. You can't hurt a god with your thoughts. My job as acolyte is to be an interface between Ellayania and the people who believe in her."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hello boys. Pascale, how was your day?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It was good! Productive. Have you settled on a blessing you want?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I could use more stamina, if you don't mind."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Here you go!" Boop!

Permalink Mark Unread

She is booped!

"Thank you for that. And for blessing Scott and Isaac too."

She sits down and takes her sushi. 

"Anything exciting happen today?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale describes her day. Domain and library and bowling and druids and Stiles.

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's a bit too much excitement for one day. Are you holding up okay?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Being busy is much better than being bored."

Permalink Mark Unread

"To each her own. I think I'd rather relax than have to rescue a town from itself."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's about responsibility. If no one else is doing a job, and you can, why not?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale smiles at Scott.

"That's a good way of putting it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, call me after you get the keys to the city."

He returns to enjoying his sushi.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Did Ms. Morrell seem threatening when she talked to you? How did you feel?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hmm, it was more ominous, than threatening? I think she was just letting me know that she knew I was there, and she was watching to see if I cause trouble."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I can talk to her tomorrow, I don't want anything to get in the way of your plan to teach there."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, if you think it will help. You know her better than I do."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. I think I will." 

The rest of dinner passes quietly. 

Permalink Mark Unread

She and Scott begin clearing the table. 

"Pascale, remind me in the morning that I promised to take you shopping." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sure."

Permalink Mark Unread

Soon enough, it's time for bed. 

There are no blood-curdling screams that night, which is always a plus.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale does consider that a good thing, yes.

She's up bright and early the next day.

Permalink Mark Unread

Melissa is making breakfast. 

"Do you need anything before I go? We'll have to save the shopping trip until after my shift, but if there's anything urgent, tell me."  

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, I'll be fine, thank you."

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll be off, then. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott makes his way down next.

"Hi. Did you sleep well?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I did, thanks for asking! How about you?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not bad. Should I text Stiles to find out how Project Substitute Teacher is going?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"He said it wouldn't be ready until tomorrow, didn't he?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"He did, but it might be worth checking that it's on track. I'm worried about him and his dad. Their relationship has been strained lately, and I don't think hiding illegal activity helps."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sounds like a good idea, then."

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott makes a call. Pascale is free to eavesdrop, but she can also just look around. 

Permalink Mark Unread

She'll eavesdrop. But subtly.

Permalink Mark Unread

"...but no, she seems okay...Stiles, we're not doing that! She's not an alien spy, everything is fine... She said he already met her, you could...I know, but...it's different, but he's your dad...okay. Keep me posted."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. Still not ready, and we don't have his dad's help. We can probably still set it up by tomorrow."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay, cool." She pauses. "You could technically say I am an alien spy, given that I'm not from this country and am trying to learn what I can while I'm here."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I guess you are. Try not to perform too many experiments on us, might ruin your chance at seeing us in our natural setting." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll be careful not to! Have fun at school today."

Permalink Mark Unread

The boys finish getting ready and go to school.

Permalink Mark Unread

She has the run of the house.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale settles down to go through more books on the couch.

Permalink Mark Unread

Until a pigeon taps on the window.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale gets up to let it in, then sends her goddess scenes of everything important that's happened so far.

Permalink Mark Unread

And then the pigeon flies off again, to pay a visit to Dr. Deaton.

Permalink Mark Unread

Dr. Deaton is with a patient. 

The patient is a dog, so he's probably interruptible. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Someone will need to let the avatar inside. It can't open doors, it's a pigeon.

It knocks politely. Taptaptap.

Permalink Mark Unread

He seems befuddled by the pigeon, but opens the door.

Permalink Mark Unread

It hops inside.

"Hello, doctor," it says. The voice is much more complex than a pigeon's has any right to be, layered with all the languages he speaks and more besides yet remaining perfectly comprehensible. "I am Ellayania. I believe my acolyte mentioned I would pay a visit when she was here yesterday. Thank you for helping her."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You're welcome to my aid, of course. That's what druids are for. What are goddesses for?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"A variety of things. I am for the acquisition of knowledge. I have a neighbor who does preservation, and know of another slightly farther away who does healing. Gods are just as varied, I know of one for freedom, one for hunting, one for decay."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Decay sounds unpleasant. I suppose the focus is in the clearing away of unnecessary matter?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I have not closely tracked in what sense he appeals to his followers. That is a potential explanation, but not all gods are pleasant. Fear may serve us as well as love, though that has been out of style these past several centuries."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I see. You use love, then?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Where possible. The other is... distasteful."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I have to admit, it's been a while since I've entertained divinity, and I might be forgetting my manners. Is there anything you need?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I simply stopped by to introduce myself. As well as to pick up any tips for spotting this Darach."

Permalink Mark Unread

"The Darach will be using a great deal of magic continuously. Illusions, shapeshifting, protection from the elements or poison. If you have some way to sense that, it could work."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I do not think that I do, at least outside of my domain. Are there characteristic mundane oddities associated with these?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Illusions leave evidence of themselves. Some animals can detect them." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I shall see what I can see, then." The pigeon cocks its head to the side. "Is there anything I can do for you before I go?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, I think that should be it. Have a good day." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"You as well."

Off goes the pigeon, to make an aerial survey of the town and surrounding environs.

Permalink Mark Unread

The town seems fairly mundane. 

Nothing jumps out to her eyes, not from the air. 

Permalink Mark Unread

What's the school her acolyte will be undercover at look like from up close?

Permalink Mark Unread

It looks like a school.

Students walk through the halls, and they sit in classrooms, and the birds in this tree seem to be chirping a bit too much.

Permalink Mark Unread

The tree, hmm? The pigeon sets down in it to investigate.

Permalink Mark Unread

Nothing particularly interesting in the tree, or in the classroom next to it.

Just education.

Permalink Mark Unread

Birds are not generally so interested in education, in Ellayania's experience. Possibly a sign of druidic magic. She takes note of everyone in the classroom, to pass on to Pascale.

Permalink Mark Unread

The birds especially don't like some students. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Ah, that is one of the werewolf boys, yes? Not entirely surprising.

Any other disturbed wildlife on the premises?

Permalink Mark Unread

Mostly just the birds. The squirrels don't seem to be very disturbed at all, and there's little other wildlife to be had.

Permalink Mark Unread

Then the pigeon will go back to Pascale to report on her findings, and after that, take up an aerial patrol of the town.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale stays at the McCalls' house, catching up on her reading and waiting for Melissa to come home.

Permalink Mark Unread

The boys are home first. 

"Hey. Stiles says everything is set up." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Cool. What do I need to know about that?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Here's your record as a substitute teacher- memorize what you've done so far. Your name is Ellie Yanna, but that part is easy to redo if you don't think Stiles is as funny as he does. We can't get you a car on such short notice, but my mom can give you rides without it looking too suspicious."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I've already introduced myself as Pascale to some people. Might be better to keep that name."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll get him to change it. Do you care what your last name is?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not really!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Alright. I'll call Stiles. Isaac can work on preparing you. Uh. I think he's outside." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Isaac comes inside, when Scott checks on him. 

"Hey. What are we doing?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah. I'm going to call Stiles, you and Pascale can study her fake backstory. Do you want to talk about anything?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hmm? No, we should get to cramming. Making a teacher study really appeals to my inner student." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Uh, I do have perfect memory, you know."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Fine, ruin my fun with reality. Should I leave you to it?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale puts on a serious face.

"I'm sure you have homework of your own, young man. Best to do it sooner than later."

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you insist, milady."

He bows deeply, and goes upstairs.

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott is still on the phone. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Time for a look at this backstory, then.

Permalink Mark Unread

There's plenty in here about her decision to major in education after a teacher's timely intervention turned her away from a life of petty theft. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Huh. Not even that far off from her true life story, modulo some differences between this world and her own.

She should be able to play this convincingly.

Permalink Mark Unread

There's not much else, besides that she is most knowledgeable about math and science; her knowledge of history is spotty at best, and she should not be allowed near that subject.

Permalink Mark Unread

 

Yeah, okay. Probably a good idea.

Permalink Mark Unread

Melissa arrives.

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott, apparently no longer on the phone, helps her with the groceries.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale goes to assist as well.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Thanks boys- uh, thanks, Scott and Pascale. Is Isaac studying? Please tell me the boy is finally studying?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"He went up to his room when I said he should go do homework, at least."

Permalink Mark Unread

"How about you? Are you ready to start your first day at school?" 

She starts putting everything away. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think so! Stiles is very, uh, creative."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll tell him you think so."

Scott starts chopping vegetables. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"He can be. Do I want to know?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not the details. Sorry." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Anyway, we should get ready for dinner. Pascale, do you mind helping me set the table?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sure!"

Plates, silverware, et cetera. To the table!

Permalink Mark Unread

"I smelled food, so I thought it was time for a break." 

They all sit to eat.

Dinner is somewhat dry fish, with soup on the side.

Permalink Mark Unread

Mmm, fish.

"Did you get any studying done?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I got some studying done? Some is the one that's more than none, right?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think that's a few?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"So how many is a bunch?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Less than a lot." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Fish!

Permalink Mark Unread

"The proper ordering is none, one, a couple, a few, some, a bunch, a lot."

Pascale asserts this with more confidence than is probably warranted for someone who learned the language two days ago.

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"Sounds right to me. I think she'll make a great teacher." 

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"Fake teacher. Fake substitute teacher." 

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"But a great one!"

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"I'm sure you'll be fine. Are you worried about the other thing?"

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"Is this about the magical serial killer?" 

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"Yeah. After dinner?" 

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"No serial killer talk at my table. Eat your fish." 

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And presently, dinner is finished.

Does Scott still want to talk?

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He can wash dishes and talk.

"Have you thought about what happens if you run into the killer at school?" 

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"That's kind of what I'm hoping will happen. I don't think they're likely to attack me in public, though."

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"Maybe they won't attack you, but having a target on your back won't help. If I can get you a more neutral place to stay, that should help..."

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"It might. I could also stay in Ellayania's domain, now that there is one here."

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"Wouldn't you need a house? Shelter?"

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"Long term, yeah, that'd be good to have. But she has absolute control of her domain, she can keep it perfectly comfortable for me."

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"Long-term goal, then. If she can make it safe, you should probably move out soon. The less connected we look, the better for you."

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"Soon like tonight? I don't have any stuff to pack if you can give me a ride over."

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"Up to you. We don't mind letting you stay, I just don't want there to be any problems with your diplomatic approach."

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"I think I've kept your mother out of her bed for long enough. I'll go tonight."

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"You're welcome here any time. Should I take you there, or does that kind of miss the point?"

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"I'm probably sufficiently anonymous in a helmet."

Pascale wants another motorcycle ride!

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She can have one!

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And then they're in Ellayania's domain. 

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It's slightly cooler than the surrounding forest, and the earth squelches wetly when stepped on. A multilayered voice whispers into Scott's ear.

"I thank you, Scott McCall, for the kindness you have shown to my acolyte." A gleaming black stone appears by his foot. "Take this. If you require my aid, simply ask."

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"Thank you, Ellayania."

He picks it up.

"I brought you something, too." 

He places a book on the ground.

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The book starts to melt into the ground.

"I will treasure it.

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Pascale smiles approvingly at Scott.

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He looks around the domain. 

He does not offer his opinion on swamps.

"Do you need help settling in? I don't know what you were planning." 

 

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"No, I'll be okay. See you at school tomorrow."

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So he goes home.

Nobody bothers her.

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That means she can show up a little early for school tomorrow, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

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She can!
Does she want help finding her classroom, or does them calling her with the room number cover it?

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She considers herself a smart cookie. The room number will be enough.

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Well, then she will have students.

Looks like she's teaching chemistry. 

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Ah, chemistry. The science of reactions! Dimensional analysis, balancing chemical equations, setting things on fire. Good stuff.


Uh, what exactly is on the lesson plan for today?

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Would she like to ask one of the students? The usual teacher didn't leave notes. 

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"Hello class! I'm Ms. Yanna, but you can call me Pascale. I'll be your substitute today. Now, it seems your usual teacher neglected to leave a lesson plan, so who wants to tell me what your currently covering?"

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"Basic stoichiometry. Here, this is the reading we were assigned."

She goes up to the front, showing Pascale her textbook.

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"Aha, thank you." Pascale glances at the textbook, takes a second to recall the proper entries from the library, then goes to the board and begins writing. "Stoichiometry, from the Greek stoicheion, meaning 'element', and metron, 'measure', is the name of the technique by which we determine quantities of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction. Who can tell me the basic principle of physics that we can derive this from?"

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"Conservation of Mass. An equation is balanced because it shows how a reaction retains the mass from before to after."

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"Yes. You always get out exactly the same number of atoms you put in, for any chemical reaction. So, if we consider the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen gas to form water..."

And lo, stoichiometry did ensue therewith.

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Lydia breezes through stoichiometry.

Other students at least don't seem completely mystified by it.

The usual chemistry teacher seems somewhat competent, and things don't go too poorly.

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No one particularly seems to think she's that foreign.

Isaac approaches her after class.

"Hey, Ms. Yanna, do you think that when you're in between classes you could stop by the guidance counselor with this note? I don't want everyone to see me giving it to her."

He says this loud enough that most of the class hears.

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"Of course."

An excuse to talk the guidance counselor. Thanks, Isaac.

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There are other chemistry classes, of course, but the students do little to distinguish themselves to her.

Then she has a free period. She can use some of it for lunch, but that likely won't take the full hour.

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Alas for the undistinguished masses, doomed to mediocrity. Very sad. She will metaphorically shed a single tear for them as she eats.


Can she see what Isaac wrote on his note before she goes to deliver it? Pascale is nosy and wants to find out.

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Made you look!

Nobody likes snoops.

Sorry if this is you, Ms. Morrell. Enjoy your talk, she's a pretty cool person.

-Isaac

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Heh. Fair enough.

All right, off to see the guidance counselor.

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The guidance counselor is happy to see her.

"What brings you here?"

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"One of my students asked me to bring you a note from them. But I was also hoping to ask your assistance in a nonprofessional capacity."

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"Of course. Why don't you sit down?" 

She closes the door. 

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Pascale takes a seat.

"I'm sure you're aware of the recent string of murders. I've been trying to track down the culprit."

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"Noble, but maybe misguided. Have you thought about the risk that puts you in? Why are you responsible, when we have a police department for that exact purpose?" 

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"They don't seem to be having much luck with it. And I might have a unique perspective to offer."

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"You think so? What's your take on the killings? Motive? Should the goal be deterrence or rehabilitation? Are you worried about copycats?" 

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"Dr. Deaton thinks the killings are magically motivated. Druidic, in fact."

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"He always was too smart for his own good." 

She sighs, leaning back in her chair.

"For a druid to kill this many people, the ritual they are using must grant a great deal of power. Why do you think someone would want that much power?" 

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"Security from a greater threat. Leverage for an even more powerful ritual. Curiosity."

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"What sort of threat do you think a druid would worry about? They can protect themselves from a lot of things." 

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"I'm not entirely sure of their capabilities nor am I fully aware of all the dangers this world has to offer. No one's given me a book on them."

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"Treat us as humans with knowledge and magical defenses. In most cases. A druid performing a ritual like this...telekinesis, illusions, shapeshifting...much more powerful." 

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"I see. And Dr. Deaton said that animals would react strongly?"

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"Animals tend to react badly to heavily concentrated magic."

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"We noticed some birds acting strangely outside one of the English classrooms yesterday." Pascale describes the teacher who was there.

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"Jennifer Blake. She's the substitute English teacher. If she is who I suspect, talking to her would be a mistake on my part. Would you like to hear my theory, or do you want to approach her without any preconceptions?" 

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"More information is better than less."

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"Until now, I hadn't thought of Jennifer Blake as a suspect, but the killer can presumably adjust her appearance. I was nearly sure, though, that the druid was someone seeking revenge on the Alpha Pack. Have you heard of them?" 

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"Group of super-werewolves?"

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"Something like that. They were once alphas of their own packs, and like all alphas, they each had their own betas, and their own druid emissary. They killed their betas and their emissaries- except one. Kali never told her new pack members that she left her emissary alive, of course. She didn't even tell her new emissary. I had to find out on my own." 

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"So the Darach wants to kill them in revenge for that?"

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"For leaving her for dead, for killing her pack...revenge can carry a person to great lengths. I suspect if Jennifer is Julia, she'll rip my throat out. I'd rather her not learn who I am." 

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"Why would Kali leave her emissary alive?"

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"They were...close. No one knew for sure, Kali was very private. She left her bleeding on the ground. There was every chance she could have died. Plausible deniability. She just wasn't willing to deliver the killing blow." 

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"Might be worth talking to her about it. The Alpha Pack would be good to have on our side, if the Darach is that strong."

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"If I were neutral, I might recommend that you play the two sides against each other. As it is, that sounds like a reasonable plan." 

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And if you were neutral, Pascale might even tell you she was planning to do that.

She smiles at Ms. Morrin. "What's the best way to contact them?"

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"Through me. They generally don't respect other humans."

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"Okay. Can you ask Kali to meet me in the woods tonight?" She describes the location of Ellayania's domain.

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"I can't convince her to be nice, but she'll come in peace. I'm glad we had this talk, Ms. Yanna." 

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"So am I. I'll see you around, I'm sure."

Back to class then. Along the way, ask Ellayania to keep an eye on Jennifer Blake.

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And shortly, a pigeon settles down in the tree outside the English classroom.

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She doesn't really do anything interesting.

The class discusses Heart of Darkness and she doesn't kill a single one of them. 

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She can wait. She has all the time in the world.

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By the end of the day, she has still not murdered anyone. Here she is, going to her car.

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And here is a pigeon, following discreetly along behind.

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Here she is, driving to an apartment building.

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The pigeon will keep following her without trouble unless she actively tries to shake her tail off.

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Pascale, meanwhile, seeks out Scott.

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Scott is not that easy to find. He must be busy. 

Most students are going home now. She could try there. 

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If she looks inside, the pigeon will see the teacher speaking to a slightly younger man. 

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To the McCall house then! But, you know, subtly.

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The pigeon eavesdrops.

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He makes a joke about after-school detention, she about intrepid reporters and their coworkers. 

They drink wine. 

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Scott is at home when she arrives.

"How did it go?" 

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Waiting. Watching. Listening.

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"Pretty good, I think. Did you know Ms. Morrell is the emissary to the Alpha Pack?"

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"No, we didn't. Are you okay?" 

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"Sorry I almost got you killed? I don't think they make a card for that." 

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Would she like to find another window? 

They seem to be moving to the bedroom. 

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"Aw, thanks for the concern. I'm fine, though, she was nice. She thinks the Darach is here because of the alphas, so I'm going to talk to one of them tonight."

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...this is turning into a sex thing, isn't it. People generally prefer their privacy. It's unlikely there's an exit from the bedroom, so the pigeon will wait here.

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"Okay. Can we do anything for you before you leave?" 

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She'll have to wait a while, until it gets dark out. 

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"Just wanted to let you know! And to say thanks for the note, Isaac."

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Gods: good at waiting.

(She has things going on elsewhere, she's not entirely wrapped up in this pigeon.)

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"Sure. My dad used to leave me funny notes like that in my lunchbox, I thought you'd appreciate it." 

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"...Good luck." 

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And eventually, she leaves the loft and returns to her car.

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Finally.

The pigeon goes to follow the car.

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And Pascale returns to Ellayania's domain.

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The woman stops in front of a perfectly normal suburban house. 

She walks to the front door. 

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The pigeon lurks.

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The teacher hides in the garden.

A woman steps outside the house and looks around.

She hugs her robe tightly as she steps towards the bushes.

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The druid attacks, flinging the woman against the wall with a wave of force.

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They have the right person, then. Good. Time to interrupt.


The pigeon rushes in to attack the druid, talons much sharper than usual clawing for her eyes.

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Are pigeons vulnerable to telekinetic flinging? Then she will find herself thrown backwards. 

She picks up the struggling woman and carries her to her backyard. 

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Hm. Yes, that was somewhat predictable. This avatar is too small and unsuited for combat. She needs subtlety. Or backup. Ellayania speaks through the stone she gave to Scott.

"Scott McCall. The Darach is attempting to make another kill. I need your help."


The pigeon recovers its stability, then overflys the druid and shakes feathers out of its wings. These turn to small clumps of dirt as they drop, each hissing out a knockout gas.

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One of Pascale's guests approaches the edge of the domain.

"Ms. Yanna? I hope now is a good time. I have Kali with me. She's willing to talk."

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The Darach vanishes from sight, leaving the body by the pool.

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He speaks into the stone.

"Where are you? Any landmarks? I don't think I know your scent."

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The gas stops.

"I am at a house in town." She describes the location, then adds "I may have scared her off, but you might still track her by scent."

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Pascale is just a little ways off, sitting on a rock. She hops up to greet her visitors.

"Ah, hello! Thank you for coming."

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"I'm sure we're both glad to be here."

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"I wouldn't say 'glad'. Nice to meet you, druid."

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She shakes her head at Pascale, from behind Kali.

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"I'm on my way."

He pockets the stone, nudges Isaac, and they head out.

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The pigeon stoops down to check on the victim.

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"Call me Pascale. I'm not actually a druid, I'm new around here."

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The victim is currently experiencing fatal head trauma. There's not much she can do. 

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"Deucalion was misinformed, then." She glances at Ms. Morrell.

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"I thought this would be better."

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Pascale will have noticed by bow that she's not wearing shoes.

She nods, baring her teeth.

"Fine. What do you want? What can you do? What is this place?" 

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"This is the domain of the goddess Ellayania, of Fen and Library. I am her acolyte."

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"An acolyte? Marin said good things, so I guess that's different than the priests we have here." 

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"Well, my goddess actually exists, so I suppose that might explain some differences."

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"I named myself after a goddess, but she doesn't seem to be around to get offended. Or pleased, I suppose. I like to think I've lived up to the name."

She examines her nails- claws, actually, since she keeps them out. 

"I heard something about Julia?" 

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And here are the teen wolves, arriving much to late to save the corpse. 

They try anyway.

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"Who's Julia?"

Pascale seems completely unconcerned about this possibly-threatening behavior.

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"She's dead. I'm sorry. The Darach is the the English teacher, Ms. Blake."

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"My former emissary. She has reason to want me dead, and to blame my pack for what I did. I wouldn't be surprised if this is her collecting power." 

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"What would you do about it, if it were her?"

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"...I don't think she'll listen to me, but if you could convince her that I didn't mean for her to suffer...it might be too late, I don't know how these rituals work." 

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"She can stop killing at any time, if we can convince her to."

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"'I meant to kill you more effectively than I actually did' is unlikely to go over well. Unless you can muster a more sincere display of remorse, I don't think an apology will do the trick."

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"That's not what I would say. I don't think what I want to say will help either. She won't believe me, or she'll be even angrier. Convince her that killing us won't satisfy her, and she'll give up on the ritual." 

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"You mauled her and left her for dead. Her reaction is understandable, if not excusable. If you want me to convince her to back down, I need more to work with." Pascale tilts her head. "She killed another woman tonight, you know. Just before you arrived."

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"Deucalion told us what we had to do. I did what he asked, and I don't regret it." 

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"Is that how you'd put it? No regrets at all?" 

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"What do I have to regret? I'm part of his pack, and she's alive." 

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"How about the part where you murdered your packmates in cold blood and critically wounded your emissary for no better reason than someone told you to do it? Or the part where, as a direct result of your actions, no fewer than four innocent bystanders have been killed? Most people would consider that plenty of cause for regret."

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"She killed every single one of of her betas, and so did her packmates. She was the only one who hesitated to kill her emissary. That doesn't sound like regret to me, but something a darach might respect more." 

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"I regret that she was my emissary. No offense to dear Marin, but she would have made a fine emissary for this pack." 

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"What qualities would have made Julia a better fit?"

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"It's not about personality- or not the kind that would fit her new pack. It's about wishing that the emissary she wanted was the one she had." 

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"That sounds a little more like regret. I don't know enough about Julia to predict how she'd respond."

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"If she wants revenge, nothing will stop her from wanting it. The only way is to convince her that killing these other people isn't worth it." 

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"You know her better than I do. Any suggestions?"

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"I'm not the person to go to for reasons not to kill people."

She turns to face the trees.

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"Offer her an alternate route to subduing the alphas. I can't credibly offer that, but a third party could."

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"What do you mean by subdue?"

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"If you can talk her down from murder to capture, do. Otherwise, save the ones who were less responsible. The twins, they were young when they were recruited, and Kali left her alive, when she could have killed her. Deucalion and Ennis are harder to protect, even if you cared to."

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Two birds, one stone. Perhaps.

"I'll see what I can do about that."

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"I think that's all the business we had here, isn't it Kali."

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"Of course," she purrs, as a motorcycle pulls up.

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"Ms. Yanna. Ms. Morrell."

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"Kali, we're leaving. Peacefully."

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"Good luck," she says to Pascale, and they walk away.

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"So long," she says to the departures.

"Hello Scott."

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"Was that one of the alphas? Are you alright? We couldn't save tonight's victim, did Ellayania tell you it's the teacher? Are you okay?"

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"Yes to all of the above. The Darach is here because of the alphas, she used to be that one's emissary."

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"What's an emissary again?"

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"A druid who works as part of a werewolf pack."

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"So who's our emissary?"

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"You're still part of Derek's pack, and I don't have one."

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"Sure, okay. Does that help us, or is it just trivia? I hate trivia."

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"If the problem of the Darach and the problem of the alpha pack are related, then we might be able to solve both at once if we go about it the right way."

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"You think we can use it? It seems like all the bad guys knowing each other should hurt us." 

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"No, she's right. It would be better if the alpha hadn't been here, I could go to the alpha pack and she could go to the darach...I could still go, but now one of them saw us together."

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"The darach wants to kill the alpha pack. Our first priority is obviously to get it to stop killing bystanders, but we might be able to use it to drive the alphas off."

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"They haven't killed many bystanders yet, but I don't think I want to be here if they stay. If we can convince the darach to stop, maybe even work with us, then we'll be safe from the pack. And if she stops the sacrifices, she's not a threat, she's a possible ally." 

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"Right. It depends on how reasonable the darach will be. I'll see what I can do about talking to her tomorrow."

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"Be careful tonight. There are things lurking in the woods."

And the boys ride home.

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Pascale is in her goddess's domain. She's perfectly safe.

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Ellayania sends the pigeon back to check on Ms. Blake's apartment.

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Ms. Blake looks somewhat terrified.

She decides to sleep anyway.

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As long as she doesn't go out and try to murder someone else tonight, that's the important thing.

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And it's back to school the next day! Is Pascale substituting for chemistry again?

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Math, today. The chemistry teacher is quite able to return to work, thank you. 

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Assorted students learn math. It's very educational. 

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Any convenient opportunities to talk to Ms. Blake present themselves?

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She's very accessible if Pascale tries the break room. Most of the teachers gather there. 

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That will do. Pascale approaches her there.

"Hi there. A little bird told me you ran into some excitement last night."

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"Did she. What else did the little bird say?"

The other teachers nearby don't find this very remarkable, and carry on.

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"That there may be better ways to get what you want. If you ask around."

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"Who should I be asking? The locals aren't always friendly, and the recent visitors are worse." 

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"I'm pretty new in town myself, you know."

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"That's true. Are you friendly?" 

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"I can be. If you're nice."

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"I can be nice. Should we take this somewhere else, or is that unfriendly?" 

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"Depends on the destination, I think. But I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

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"Meet me after school, by the bleachers." 

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Heh.

"All right."

Back to class, then.

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After school, Ms. Blake is waiting by the bleachers. 

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Pascale meets her there.

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The pigeon lurks on high.

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"You wanted to talk?" 

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"Yes. I'm Pascale, by the way. Kali has already told me her side of the story, I'd like to get your perspective."

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"You spoke to her? What did she say?"

 

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"She didn't want to kill you, and she didn't mean for you to suffer."

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"Really. She didn't want me to suffer."

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"She said she liked you as an emissary better than the one the alpha pack has now?" Pascale offers.

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"What interest do you have in this, anyway?"

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"I'm a problem-solver by nature. And if I'm going to stay somewhere, I prefer there to be no active serial killers."

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"And knowing that Kali is, what, apologizing by proxy, is supposed to convince me to stop? They're still a threat."

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"But not one you need to face alone."

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"You're proposing an alliance? What makes you think you have the power to take them on, without a ritual like mine?"

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"I have a god on my side."

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"Really? Which one?"

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"Her name is Ellayania. We're... not from this world originally."

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"Really. Can you help trees grow?"

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"If the tree's inside her domain, sure."

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"Does she want help expanding her domain? Where is it right now?"

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"I think first we want to know why you're so eager to grow a tree."

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"The ritual I've been doing is to heal the Nemeton, return it to its former state, so it can give me the power I need to fight the alpha pack. If I can skip the ritual, then I think we'll both be happy."

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"I'm not familiar with what a Nemeton is."

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"A sacred grove. Druids used them to meet and to work our magic. This one is just a tree stump, now, the surrounding trees are long dead, but this one has been recovering slowly, in recent years. I've been helping it along with the sacrifices, so it can be a source of power again."

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"The way Ellayania gets trees in her domain to grow quickly is that she is the land and the trees. I'm not sure how that would interact with your magic."

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"That's too bad. I suppose if your goddess can handle the alpha pack herself, I don't need power for its own sake...it would be nice if I could heal the Nemeton anyway, but it's not a priority."

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"It's just an untested interaction, we don't know that she couldn't do it. But even without, she can easily handle the alpha pack if they're in her domain."

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"So all I have to do is lead them to her?" 

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"If you're really set on killing them, that's the easiest way."

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"What were you planning on doing with them?"

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Pascale shrugs. "Talk to them, first. Figure out what they want, why they're here. Convince them to play nice, or to leave."

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"They won't play nice; they have no respect for other werewolves, and even less for humans like us." 

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"It'd still be nice to know what their deal is."

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"You think they'll give a better answer to me?" 

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"Probably not, given how you're trying to kill them. But ending the string of murders is more important to me than satisfying my curiosity."

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"If they'll stop...and if I can have Deucalion, the murders can stop."

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"I can probably work with that. Give me a couple days?"

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"You're welcome to them. Good luck." 

And she goes home.

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The pigeon follows her. Just in case.

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And is Ms. Morrell still around?

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Ms. Morrell is still there, in case anyone needs counseling after school. 

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And is anyone currently taking advantage of her services?

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She's free!

"Ms. Yanna, nice to see you again."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Likewise. Since the last meeting went so well, I was wondering if you could set up something similar with Deucalion?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I could, but I'm not nearly as hopeful. Once upon a time, he was a reasonable man, and now he's a self-sabotaging murderer with a political agenda." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"What's his agenda? What incentives does he respond to?"

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"He wants to take promising alphas, get rid of their packs, and recruit them. Eventually, he wants to destabilize the current system of werewolf organization and replace it with something more centralized." 

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"Is there some sort of substantive difference between an alpha werewolf and a non-alpha werewolf?"

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"Alphas have powers that betas don't. Their claws can steal memories. The more important difference is that alphas become stronger as they build their packs, and when they kill their packs, they gain even more power."

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"Steal memories?"

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"Steal, share, possibly falsify-the exact details are unclear to me."

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Note to self: don't let an alpha claw you. Not that she was going to, but still.

"Do you know what he plans to do, once he centralizes werewolf organization?"

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"He wants werewolves to form a cohesive society, one that can eventually interact with the human one." 

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Less insane than she was expecting.

"Can you pitch the meeting as we're new here, we heard about his project, think it sounds reasonable, and might have an avenue to help with sovereignty?"

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"I can try. As I said, self-defeating. He's got a kind of...paranoid optimism that makes him both very trusting and also inclined to over-correct to avoid trusting. He'll be ready to betray you if he thinks you'll betray him. Step carefully. I can help there, but we'll want to discuss what you'll say before you get there." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale is in fact planning on betraying him, so that's potentially awkward. But her win condition here is fairly simply: get Deucalion into Ellayania's domain.

"Lovely combination of traits. What sorts of things should I avoid saying that would give that impression?"

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"Don't mention communicating with the Darach at all, and ideally, let Kali bring up her meeting with you. Support the idea of humans becoming aware of the supernatural, use that as a bargaining chip. He wants that, of course, and will be more sympathetic to you if you suggest it. Connect it to the idea of spreading your goddess, showing your "hidden" motive; he'll stop looking for one, after that." 

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"Good suggestions. Is the same meeting spot going to work?"

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"I'll convince him."

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Pascale smiles.

"I'll see you tonight, then?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"See you tonight. Take care, Pascale."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Bye!"

Back to Ellayania's domain. They have things to prepare. Once Deucalion gets here, he's not leaving. All she has to do is get him into the domain. Talk to him about his plans, agree with him, make him comfortable enough to take that one step inside. Or Ellayania can pull the sudden expansion trick. If she only has to do it once that should be okay. As for afterwards, well. She's not expecting him to be reasonable. Will have to ask Blake if she wanted to kill him personally. His ideas about werewolf integration may actually be worthwhile, something to investigate. The rest of the pack may or may not be salvageable. She'll try, no sense in pissing Morrell off unnecessarily, but Pascale will be prepared for the contingency.

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Unless she contacts her teenage werewolf friends, they'll leave her alone until the meeting.

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Better if they stay out of this one. While in her goddess's domain, she won't need the backup. And given their history with the pack, their presence will likely introduce unwanted complications. Ellayania can warn them off if she notices Scott's stone approaching. Pascale might want to consult with them later, but not while Deucalion is still an active force.

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As expected, Ms. Morrell approaches the edge of her domain.

"Ellayania? Pascale? I brought someone here for you to meet."

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Pascale walks over to greet them.

"Hello!"

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"Pascale. I've heard so little about you."

He holds out one hand, the other holding his cane.

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Wasn't expecting him to be blind, but okay. She shakes the proffered hand.

"Well, I haven't really been around very long, so that's not exactly surprising."

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"No, it's not, really. My emissary was telling me that you've already spoken to my second. What did you think of her?"

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"I think it's good that she has a strong leader."

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"I know very little about your goddess, but I feel the same way about her. She must be very powerful indeed, to command your respect."

 

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"She took me in, gave me purpose."

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"What does a goddess want, from a mortal? What purpose did she give you? My pack would say the same about me, and yet they would be wrong to worship me."

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"That's because you're a werewolf, not a god. As acolyte, I serve as an intermediary of sorts between Ellayania and her worshipers."

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"Fascinating. An intermediary. An emissary, of sorts. There are legends, about the origins of the druids. Marin tells the story better than I can."

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"Some believe that the pagan gods of old were real, and that they taught humans druidry. In fact, it's been said that the earliest druids were themselves the gods, incarnated into human form."

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"Well said. Now, what is it that Ellayania wants from me, acolyte?"

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"We heard about your ambitions to unite the werewolves, and wondered if you might want some help with that."

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"I could use it, yes. An interesting sort of goddess, who looks at a new world and decides where she stands on local politics. Why are you interested?"

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"You asked what a goddess wants from a mortal? Belief. For people to worship her, to think of her. The more, the better. She doesn't have a foothold here. She wants one."

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Tap goes the cane, as though he's testing the ground's stability, before he walks further.

"She can have six believers by tomorrow, then. More than that will take work. I imagine it would be easier if werewolf packs were more organized, but we have time to discuss all that."

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"We should also consider the Darach. We've learned her motives, and it seems the best move is to make some kind of reparations. You could apologize."

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"That would make it harder to get what we want from Beacon Hills, Marin. If this Darach wants to mobilize the werewolves in this town, I support her choice."

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"And what is it you want from this little town?" asks a voice from nowhere.

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Tap, tap, tap goes the cane.

"Recruits. New members of the cause. Alphas."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ending the threat of the Darach would gain you favor with the locals and make your recruitment easier. It is also easily within your power. Why not do so?"

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"As long as we have a common enemy, we can gain favor with the locals. Killing the Darach would be wasteful. If you believe there's no chance to stop her from sacrificing innocents, then I'll step in."

Permalink Mark Unread

"My impression is that so far that strategy is not serving you especially well."

Permalink Mark Unread

"True, from a certain perspective. You think it's time to play our hand?" 

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"Demonstrate that you're holding any cards at all, at least."

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"We could kill her easily, if she's sacrificed...how many was it, Marin?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"A few. Not nine, not twelve, not fifteen. She won't be strong enough to kill all five of you." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Four deaths, by my count. Three sacrificed, one interrupted."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Four, then. Four sacrifices, and now we know who she is. Do either of you object if one of my pack kills her now, then, or does timing matter?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"The twins?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"They volunteered to take her on. Admirable, how brave those boys are shaping up to be." 

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"It would be better if it were witnessed."

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"In that case, we should probably leave now."

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"Before you do, might I offer a blessing, to mark the beginning of this partnership?"

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"A blessing? I would be honored, even lacking the full context to understand." 

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"A blessing is a minor permanent benefit provided by a god to their followers. Ellayania offers the blessings of speed, stamina, visual acuity, memory, resistance to cold and damp, and waterwalking."

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"I doubt I'll benefit much from visual acuity. Unless I'm wrong, memory would be much appreciated. "

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"Step forward, then, and receive it."

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He steps forward.

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And the earth beneath his feet vanishes, dropping him twenty feet down into a smooth-sided cavern. The roof seals back up.

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He doesn't seem to like that.

The fall doesn't kill him, though. He's an alpha.

"What a very inhospitable goddess. You won't be getting a very good review."

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Ms. Morrell does not hear this.

"What did you have planned next?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I find your strategies quite offensive. A partnership between we two would not have worked over the long run."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Talk to the Darach. She said she would be content with just him. Now we have him."

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"I'll tell her. Hopefully the twins haven't died at her hands yet, I don't need a bigger mess."

She heads out.

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Has the shadowing pigeon noticed Blake being involved in any altercations?

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She seems to be working on a lesson plan, currently.

Other than that, it's been coffee and some Netflix.

Permalink Mark Unread

Right. Any suspicious activity in the neighborhood?

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Not really. It looks like no one unusually wolfish has passed through.

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The pigeon will stay alert for any signs of trouble.

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None, actually.

It looks like there was some internal disagreement in the alpha pack.

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That is probably a good thing.

The pigeon stays on alert.

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Ms. Blake stands by her window, waiting. 

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Ms. Morrell arrives, knocking on her door.

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Inconspicuous pigeon eavesdropping.

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"Deucalion is alive, but he might not be for long. Had a good night?" 

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"I wasn't, but I think you know how I feel now." 

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"Try not dance on my packmate's grave." 

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"Packmate, huh? Impressive mental contortions there." 

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"You've been here, all night?" 

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"Yeah, why?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm surprised none of them tried to kill you, that's all. Have a good night." 

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"Good night. I hope I see you in school tomorrow." 

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"Do you hope that? It was nice seeing you again, Jennifer. Give my regards to Julia." 

She heads out. 

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Ellayania sends the pigeon to follow Morrell, rather than maintain vigil on Blake.

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Morrell can be found parking her car outside a perfectly ordinary suburban home.

The pigeon is welcome to stay the night, but Ellyayania doesn't see anything. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Well and good.

How is her subterranean guest faring?

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He talked to the earth for the first hour, about his life.

He suspected the goddess wouldn't be listening, so he rambled on a bit. 

Now he's staying quiet and staring at the wall, though.

Permalink Mark Unread

She was paying attention, if a bit half-heartedly. Did he say anything useful?

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Not really. 

He talked a bit about Talia Hale, and Gerard Argent, and when Beacon Hills was actually a safe place to live.

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Perhaps her acolyte will be interested. Ellayania relays the information.


"Do you require food? Water?"

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"I think I'd rather be killed sooner than later, if you were considering what I would rather.

I won't need either for some time." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Your preferences matter rather little to me. Were you less carelessly casual about the enemies you provoke, it might be otherwise."

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"It was nice to know you, Ellayania, however briefly. Give my regards to your acolyte."

And he awaits-

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-his death.

A visitor approaches the domain, and waits at the edge. 

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"Here to observe?"

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"Observe, witness, participate...whatever you'll allow me to do."

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"Let's stick with observation. Safest. He's just over here." Pascale leads the way around the edge a little ways, and brushes aside some dirt, revealing a clear pane of thick glass set into the ground. Deucalion is visible below. "Any preferences on method? Fast, slow?"

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"Fast enough that he doesn't have time to speak. Slow enough that he realizes what's happening." 

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A spike of hardened stone lances out from one wall of the cavern, breaking his jaw and most of his teeth. Two more from the ceiling pin his feet to the floor, then his hands are pinioned to his sides. Two pierce his chest from behind, just below the shoulders. One larger one through the gut.

And then one through the skull, top to bottom.

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She clenches her fist.

"The rest of his pack?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"They didn't show tonight. But they also didn't go to attack you when he seemed to think they might have."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I hope you're not going to let them live." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"My default is that people live. I'll take your opinion under advisement, but it will be a case-by-case determination."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Maybe the twins. I doubt they killed the girl personally, and they killed one pack between them, not two. The others deserve death. But I'll leave that to you and your goddess. Have a good night, Ms. Yanna." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"You as well, Ms. Blake."

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The glass melts back into earth. The unseen cavern beneath refills itself.

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Ms. Blake goes home. 

She has a class to teach in the morning. 

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So does Pascale, come to think of it.


What's the substitution of the day?

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Biology, apparently. 

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Applied chemistry, okay. Cells and organelles and ecosystems and whatnot.

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Would she like to be accosted after class?

She will be anyway.

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Well, in that case, sure.

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"The twins are in the school, if you want to have a chat. I'll be leaving early." 

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"What are their names? What do they look like?"

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"Ethan and Aiden. Tall, well-built, identical. White, blond, wear unnecessarily flattering clothing." 

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"Ah, those two. Yes, I believe they're in my last class today."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I wish you the best of luck, Ms. Yanna. I hope you can render my services unnecessary." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"As do I."

And so on to the end of the day, and the twins are asked to stay behind a moment and help her clean up.

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"Uh yeah, sure," says one of the twins.

"What do you need?" asks the other.

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"Deucalion is dead. Are you two going to cause the same sorts of problems he did?"

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One of them snarls, and jumps at her, already transformed.

"Aiden, no!" shouts the other one, failling to grab him. 

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Speed from Ellayania and reflexes from Raezenoth. Pascale dodges to the windows, wrenching one open and then continuing to stay out of reach of the werewolf.

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In rushes the angriest pigeon in the world, slashing with talons that ooze a potent tranquilizer.

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He goes down.

His brother stands, looking unsure of what to do. 

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"Well, that wasn't the same sort of problem at all."

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"What are you going to do to us?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Kindly encourage you all to play nicely with everyone. No more murders. And stop harassing the locals."

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"...Okay. Can you make sure they don't come after us?"

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"The locals? Yes. And if you do get in trouble, there is a glade in the woods you can go to. You will be safe there."

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"How will we find it? What about Kali and Ennis?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale describes the location.

"I'm going to tell them the same thing I told you."

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"Don't tell Ennis you killed him. Don't tell Kali that, either. Is there anyone you can blame? Anything?"

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Pascale tilts her head.

"I never said I killed him. I just said that he was dead."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Was it the Darach? You can tell them that, they'll just go after her."

Permalink Mark Unread

"They expect to succeed where their leader failed?"

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"Deucalion was our leader, but he wasn't our alpha. Kali will think she can win. Ennis won't care, he'll be too angry to think it through."

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"I'd prefer to avoid that, if possible. Will Aiden be a problem when he wakes?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, he'll listen to me. Try waiting outside the room, maybe leave the pigeon? I can calm him down."

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Pascale glances at the pigeon. It bobs its head, then hops over to her and spits a wad of what looks like compressed plant matter into her hand. She passes it to Ethan.

"Give him this, it will wake him up faster and help with the headache."

Then she leaves the room.

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Ethan does as requested, sneaking glances at the pigeon, as though trying to figure out what it is. 

Aiden wakes up, growling, but quickly subdued by his brother's frantic whispering. 

"Sorry," he grumbles at the pigeon. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"As you did not succeed, I will forgive the attack on my acolyte this once. Do not let it happen again."

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"Yeah, I got it. He's really dead?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yes."

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"Okay. We'll play nice, if you're the new game in town." 

"Thank you," says Ethan, though his relief is mingled with fear. 

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Pascale returns.

"On your way then, boys."

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They go.

She should probably check in with Scott and Isaac. They might think she's been doing something dangerous.

Permalink Mark Unread

Yeah, that's next on the list. Are they still at school or does she have to pay a home visit?

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Home, unfortunately. 

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Ah well. Off visiting she goes.

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"Pascale, how was your day?" 

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"It was good! So far they've had me in chemistry, math, and biology."

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"Which is better?" 

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"Hmm... so far I think chemistry has been my favorite. By the way, is Scott home?"

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"Yeah, the boys are upstairs. Did you have dinner plans? You're welcome to join us."

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"If it's no trouble, I'd love to stay."

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"Boys, help us with dinner!"

She starts setting the table.

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And here are the boys.

"Pascale, are you okay?"

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"I'm fine, Scott."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Anything stupid or illegal?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Almost certainly illegal but if it was stupid I like to think it was not irretrievably so. If the alphas give you any more problems, tell me about it because I've asked them not to."

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"Glad you're on our side, at least."

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"They won't hurt anyone?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Pretty sure they won't, yeah."

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"I'll start dinner." 

He gets to it. Looks like they're having lasagna.

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"Did you kill them?"

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"Just Deucalion."

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Lasagna it is.

They make small talk.

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Lasagna! Pascale approves of lasagna.

Small talk is good, too.

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Isaac is telling a charming anecdote about how his friend Boyd scared a man into giving them the keys to his car. 

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McCalls look variously disturbed, but say nothing. 

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"What about you Pascale, any good stories?"

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Well, there was that one time an unfortunate homophone between two commonly spoken languages caused a bit of a misunderstanding at the fish market one day.

"...and it turned out the net had been in the bottom of the barrel all along!"

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"Do you think Ellayania can get you home?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale shakes her head.

"She can't move people around, just bits of herself."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Don't we have magic here? Isn't your boss magic?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah. We can go see Dr. Deaton. He might have some ideas."

Permalink Mark Unread

He seemed kind of cagey about what druids could and couldn't do to Pascale, but she nods anyway.

"It's worth a try."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Dr. Deaton shouldn't be encouraging you two. He's a doctor." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"He's a witch. Throwing around magic, casting spells on the neighborhood dogs. He's a terrible influence." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"It just seems dangerous. You're already involved enough, and now there's a goddess to help. She'll only get stronger. Maybe soon, Beacon Hills won't need teenagers to protect it, and things can finally go back to normal."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Maybe." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Pascale, would you like dessert?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yes, please."

"She has a good point, though. The responsibility for protecting the town shouldn't have to fall to you."

Permalink Mark Unread

"No one else was doing it. But I guess she's right about Ellayania, as long as we have her." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not condemning you for doing. Just the opposite, in fact. But the fact that you had to is indicative of a deeper problem."

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"She's right, Scott. I know there are reasons no adults were handling this, but most of them aren't very good."

Permalink Mark Unread

"No one knew any of this was going on, and things can't change in just a couple of months like that." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Well, going forward, you'll have more options."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hate to be that guy, but what exactly happened with the alphas? Are they planning anything, are they leaving town?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"They may be leaving, but I don't think that they're planning anything."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Who died? Was there a fight?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Isaac, help me clear the table. Scott, have this talk somewhere else."

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"Pascale, want to go to my room so we can talk." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay."

Follow follow.

Permalink Mark Unread

He leaves the door open, judging the distance will be enough to satisfy his mother.

"We need a plan, unless you're sure both sides are under control. If they are, I want to know why you're sure."  

Permalink Mark Unread

"The Darach said she would be satisfied with Deucalion's death. We gave her that, and she seems to be happy with it. The emissary to the alpha pack seems competent to keep them under control until I can speak to them all individually. I've already talked to the twins and I believe I made my point with them, they may spread the news to the others. And if not, any strike they make should be directed at either the Darach, who deserves it regardless of current friendliness, or at me or Ellayania, and I can take care of myself."

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"You don't expect retaliation against me and Derek, or uninvolved humans, or the Argents?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I do not."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Thanks, Pascale. If that's really it, it'll be nice to relax. Do you want to go with me and Isaac to ask Dr. Deaton if there's a way to get you home?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Given that it's me we're asking for, yes, I do."

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"It's a little late to go now. Tomorrow, after school?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, I can work with that."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Alright. Good night, Pascale. Thanks for everything. Thanks Ellayania."

Permalink Mark Unread

"See you."

And after an uneventful night of rest, it's back to school!

Permalink Mark Unread

Does she still like math? She knows math right?

She has a few math classes to teach. 

Permalink Mark Unread

She can do math. She can knock that math right out of the park and into the students' heads.

Permalink Mark Unread

They do so much math learning.

So much.

Yup.

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After her second class, someone is loitering outside her door.

Permalink Mark Unread

Well, they should stop loitering and come in to talk while they have a chance, then.

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She knocks, after most of the students have filtered out.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hello. Do you need something?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I was hoping to discuss your plans for this town." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Nothing's been firmly settled yet. In what regard specifically?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"You're a major player. I wanted to find out what you and your goddess want from us, and what you're going to do to get it."

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"What she wants are believers. What we're going to do is offer a helping hand, to any that seek it. I plan to finish my survey of the supernatural elements in town, solve any problems I encounter in so doing, and then begin introducing my goddess to the population at large."

Permalink Mark Unread

"How do your blessings work? Do you have any for hunger?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Blessings are a minor permanent benefit. A god can have at most six blessings to bestow. Ellayania's are speed, stamina, memory, vision, cold and damp resistance, and waterwalking. None of those directly address the issue of hunger, depending on the precise nature of the problem she might create food directly or provide arable land with beneficial weather to solve it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm afraid their problem is less tractable. One of the best things you can do here is probably deal with the family of wendigos. Obligate cannibals, they'll keep the local homicide rate high. There are other options, but that's the way to earn some goodwill from the local supernaturals." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale nods.

"What can you tell me about them?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't know this family very well, because making friends with wendigos is dangerous in more than one way. Wendigos in general have a hunger that has to be fed by human flesh. When they don't feed they, they undergo a shift, which I've heard affects the color of the eyes and the shape of their jaw. They have sharp teeth. They're stronger than werewolves, but I doubt they can handle a goddess. What else do you need to know?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Where can I find them?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Oh, the suburbs. The school probably has their address. One of them goes here." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"What's their name? If I don't have them in class you probably have easier access to that information than I do."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sean Walcott."

The name is unfamiliar. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Haven't had them. Can you get me the address?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll have it to you by tomorrow. Be careful, you don't want the supernaturals to think you're hunting them in general. Make it clear you're only targeting the monsters."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I only trouble those who trouble trouble. How is the rest of the alpha pack doing? "

Permalink Mark Unread

"As well as you would expect. Ennis wants to kill whoever killed Deucalion, but luckily he's not sure who did it. Kali has realized it's you, but hasn't told him yet. She'll probably leave town. The twins will probably stay here and not bother anyone."

Permalink Mark Unread

"If Ennis gets out of hand, can you try to point him at Ellayania instead of directly at me?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Since she is the one who killed him and rather resilient, I'm sure if I have to tell him something, I'll tell him that." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ms. Yanna? Is everything alright?"

Scott is standing in the doorway, looking at Ms. Morrell with some confusion.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ah, hello, Scott. Yes, everything's fine, we were just talking."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Nothing to worry about, Scott. I was just leaving." 

And she does.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Did I interrupt anything?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Just wrapping up some strategy related to the alphas."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It really doesn't make me want to stay out of this when you're talking to the alpha pack's emissary."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What problems do you have with it?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"She's still dangerous, Pascale, and you're not in Ellayania's domain." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale motions towards the window, and the pigeon sitting on the ledge just outside.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hello, Ellayania. Do you two have a plan for what happens next? Now that there's no crisis, there must be something we can do."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You and I were going to go talk to Dr. Deaton, weren't we?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"He's always been a big help to us, after he stopped being so mysterious all the time. I think it's a good way to figure out a plan."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yes, so do I. But if I'm not mistaken, you still have several more classes to attend today before we get to that?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, I should probably get going. Sure you're okay?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Your concern is flattering, but really, I'm fine."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I have to trust you on that much. See you after school?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll be here."

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale's classes proceed.

Students learn, somewhat.

Permalink Mark Unread

She is trying her best, but really, the more she has to interact with it, the more this whole setup seems... sub-optimal. Probably a project for later, though.

For now, she and Scott have other business, yes?

Permalink Mark Unread

Indeed they do.

"Ready to go?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yeah, let's."

Permalink Mark Unread

They hop onto Scott's bike and drive to the animal clinic.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Scott, I see you thought it was bring your friend to work day." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I can work, you two can talk." 

Permalink Mark Unread

He watches Scott disappear into the back. 

"Nice to properly meet you." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"You as well. I'm not disturbing your day, am I? Scott seemed to think you'd have time to talk."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I have time. What did you want to discuss?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"We thought you might have some ideas on a way for me to get home."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Local magic doesn't have an obvious solution. We have magic that can find a place, if worlds have relative locations. I can work on the other half, but I'm not sure how promising it is."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That's sort of what I was afraid you'd say. The other thing I wanted to ask you about is the Nemeton."

Permalink Mark Unread

"A Nemeton is a sacred grove, a place where druids worked for decades, maybe centuries. There used to be one in town, but most of the trees have been cut down. If there was a way to encourage growth in that area, we would have a source of power that could return you home- if anything we have can do it." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"If Ellayania claimed the grove as part of her domain, she could cause trees to grow. But we're not sure how that would interact with the local magic."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's worth a try, the Nemeton isn't much help to us otherwise." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Where is it?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Near the center of the woods. Not too far out from the spot Ellayania started." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"That'll make it easier, then. Would you want to come and watch?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think I would, thank you."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You can come by the grove after your done with work for the day, then. Should I extend an invitation to the other druids in town?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"All one of her? If you like."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Oh, I suppose you might not have heard. The resolution we reached with the Darach did not involve killing her. I think she might even see us as potential friends."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I hadn't heard, no. Alright. It should definitely be interesting."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I should get going, then. Can you let Scott know I left to run some errands? I'll leave it up to you whether to invite him as well."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Of course. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope we can get you home." 

Permalink Mark Unread

Off to find Morrell, then.

Permalink Mark Unread

Would she like to find her at home? She's at home. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Home works. Knock, knock.

Permalink Mark Unread

She answers, of course. It's a reasonable time of day.

"Pascale, hello. What exciting thing are you up to now?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Restoring the Nemeton, potentially."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Interesting choice. A bit dangerous, though. The Nemeton was what drew so many supernatural elements to this town, originally. If it fully recovers, we'll all be very busy."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Busy is good." And power is intriguing. "It'll be happening tonight, if you want to come watch."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Oh, I'm interested. You're one of the most exciting things to happen to me in years." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Glad to help out. I'll see you tonight, then."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You will. Have a good day, Ms. Yanna."

She returns to her work.

Permalink Mark Unread

Two down, one to go. Off to see Blake.

Permalink Mark Unread

Like her fellow teacher, she's gone home for the day. 

She answers promptly. 

"What a nice surprise! Did you want to come in?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"If I'm not intruding."

Permalink Mark Unread

She lets her in.

It's cozy, warmly lit, landscape photos lining the walls. 

"Do you want anything? I'm not much of a cook, but there's probably something in a box I can serve." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you settling back in?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not bad. It's a bit strange, not to have an all-consuming mission anymore."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What did you do before?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Nothing much. I was the emissary to a pack, before my alpha left me for dead." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you're feeling at loose ends, Ellayania will eventually need to establish a priesthood of some sort here. She's not at that point yet, but it's something that will happen in the future."

Permalink Mark Unread

"What would I do, as a priest? People here aren't used to your kind of goddess."

Permalink Mark Unread

"You'd be sort of representing her interests. Here, it'd probably be a lot of talking to people, explaining about Ellayania, who she is and what she does, getting them to believe in her. Also collecting books, she really appreciates books."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I like her already. Any kind of book? Does it matter if it's one that's important to me, valuable or rare...useful or interesting?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Both!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. Collecting rare books, interesting books...I'll need to find a way to make money on the side, I think, a teacher's salary won't cut it. Can you tell me more about Ellayania? She must want things from her followers; a creed or values or something that she expects them to share."

Permalink Mark Unread

"She's the goddess of libraries, she's about curiosity, the desire and drive to learn, to understand more about the world. People who ask questions, and people who can answer questions."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Is she interested in learning about druidry? I have plenty of books on that, hard to find elsewhere. I'll work on getting new books, too."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Druidry books would be great! And Ellayania will give the book back to you once she's made a copy."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I think I like being a priest. Priestess?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Whichever you prefer. You should come by her domain tonight, both to talk more to her about it and because we're going to attempt to regrow the Nemeton."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Dear Diary, this town just keeps getting more and more exciting. I wouldn't miss it. Anything else while you're here?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"No, I think that was everything."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Thank you, Ms. Yanna. And thank you, Ellayania."

They're ushered out at a reasonable pace; Ms. Blake seems to enjoy Pascale's company. 

Permalink Mark Unread

That's good. Ellayania is less choosy about her priests than acolytes, but Pascale thinks Blake will be a good fit. And it will help keep her out of trouble.

She heads home.

Permalink Mark Unread

And in the evening, everything is ready.

Permalink Mark Unread

The druids begin to arrive. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Good. This will be easier with an audience. Ellayania has surrounded the grove so as to be able to engulf it from all sides at once.

Permalink Mark Unread

It's not much of a grove, these days. 

Just a single tree stump. 

She can try to surround the general area around it, though. 

Permalink Mark Unread

The druids observe, with interest.

Permalink Mark Unread

Ellayania fills in the circle she has drawn, claiming the ground and the stump.

Does it feel different from an ordinary tree?

Permalink Mark Unread

It feels like a very old tree. 

Also, it's trying to find out what's happening. 

Permalink Mark Unread

How odd. She's never met a curious tree before. Does it grow, if she instructs it to?

Permalink Mark Unread

It would really like to grow.

It starts to grow. 

It also starts reaching out, trying to examine her.

Permalink Mark Unread

She is quite extensive. She directs a thought its way.

Can you hear me?

Permalink Mark Unread

Hear.

What are you?

Permalink Mark Unread

A goddess.

Permalink Mark Unread

Am I a goddess?

Is that a goddess? 

'That', evidently, refers to her acolyte. 

Permalink Mark Unread

You are a tree. If you are a god, you are a very small one.

That is mine.

Permalink Mark Unread

What is a god?

I have been gone for so long.

Where did they go? 

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's...it's really growing back..."

Permalink Mark Unread

Ellayania tries to send the entire concept of god, wordless.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale smiles.

Permalink Mark Unread

I am not a god.

I need your help. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Help with what?

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They all left.

I was gone, so they left, but I am here now. 

Permalink Mark Unread

The druids? They are here, now.

Permalink Mark Unread

Not them. These are only short ones, anyway.

Their creations. The beast-folk and the flesh-eaters, the hell-hounds, the bone-wearers.

The others, the foxes and the singers. It is too quiet here. 

Permalink Mark Unread

As if in response, a woman's scream cuts through the rest of the noise.

Permalink Mark Unread

Prolific, were they.

Tell me more about them.

Permalink Mark Unread

"What was that?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Probably Lydia. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised the banshee felt what you did. Powerful magic gets their attention." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Does that mean what I think it does?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I was really hoping this would make the town safer." 

Permalink Mark Unread

The beast-folk change their shape. They carry the beast inside, and it pushes them to do its will.

The flesh-eaters have a ceaseless craving. They kill anything they find for food.

The hell-hounds refuse to let death take them or others. I hope we find one soon.

The bone-wearers are trapped with the spirits. We should not discuss sad things.

The singer is here already, and the fox has woken up. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Will she be coming here, or ought I go round her up?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Werewolves, wendigos, apparently banshee, and three unknowns. It would be nice if the druids had volunteered some information about this before it became pressingly relevant.

Can you call them here, to me?

Permalink Mark Unread

The fox will not come if I call. 

The hell-hound is there, in the prison. 

I cannot call them once they are so close. I call only those who are far away.

That is why they come here.

Permalink Mark Unread

"We should probably go get her."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Right. Lydia, you said? Let's go." She pauses. "And on the way you can tell me about hellhounds and bone-wearers and werefoxes."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Of course. I'll tell you what I know."

Permalink Mark Unread

Has someone brought a vehicle or are they walking?

Permalink Mark Unread

They can take his car, yes. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Great. So, these creatures...

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not sure how you heard of some of those creatures. I've never heard of a confirmed sighting of a hellhound. I can tell you the legends. Kitsune I strongly suspect exist, but I'd be surprised to find one here- that would presumably be the werefox you referred to. As for the 'bone-wearers', I have a guess, but that's all. I'll have to consult a book for the relevant entry, I'm afraid, but you might be looking for berserkers."

Permalink Mark Unread

Details, man, details.

"What are the legends about hellhounds?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Wreathed in flames, they bring death to those who try to harm them, and carry the dying across to the next world. That's about all that I can say without delving into theology, little of which is likely to represent actual hellhounds, if they exist. Kitsune are like werewolves in being tied to an animal spirit, born as a fox spirit attached to a human infant. They exist, but rarely appear to humans or among them. Berserkers, the only legends I have are the ones everyone knows. Norse warriors who practiced shamanism, being possessed by animal spirits in battle." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. What about banshees?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Banshees aren't supernatural- for all good that does them. Lydia is a human who can sense death, and screams in response to certain psychic energy. There's really not a good explanation for how it is that they sense the things they do."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Does she know what she is?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not certain she does, no. I wasn't aware until just now."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Wonderful."

Are they there yet?

Permalink Mark Unread

If 'there' is the outside of a suburban home, then yes.

Permalink Mark Unread

Time to go a-knockin'.

Permalink Mark Unread

A woman answers, looking somewhat confused.

"Uh, hello? Who are you?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm a teacher at the high school. I'm looking for Lydia, is she here?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Dr. Deaton elects to wait in the car. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

Permalink Mark Unread

A girl rushes down the stairs.

"Did Scott send you?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

Let's go with "Yes."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Mom, I'm going out." 

There's a minor...discussion...and then the girl walks past her..

She glances at the car, and back at Pascale. 

"Ready?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Back to the car.

"How much do you know already?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I keep finding dead bodies, but no one is sure what I am. Fully apprised of werewolves and associated things." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. So the reason you keep finding dead bodies is that you are what's called a banshee. You can sense death and certain psychic energies."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Okay. Is that the whole package, because that sounds kind of awful." 

Permalink Mark Unread

They join Dr. Deaton. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"You got a better deal when the wendigos did. They're obligate cannibals. Anyway, what you felt earlier this evening was the Nemeton reawakening. We're headed back there."

Permalink Mark Unread

Ellayania asks Scott if he would kindly go there as well.

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott is on his way. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"That does sound bad. So how does being a banshee work?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll find you a book. I'm afraid I don't know much."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Dr. Deaton is a druid, as you probably know. I am not, I am an acolyte of a god, newly arrived to this place."

Permalink Mark Unread

"A god? That's interesting. How does that work?"

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale is now pretty good at explaining how gods work to people haven't met a real one. Her summary is both informative and interesting.

Permalink Mark Unread

"So the Nemeton, that has something to do with your god?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It didn't until tonight. She claimed it as part of her domain, and it- woke up."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Is it dangerous? Every new thing I learn about is dangerous."

Permalink Mark Unread

"So far it doesn't seem to be. And if it proves to be, Ellayania could kill it as easily as she woke it."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It shouldn't be dangerous, not by itself. It might attract supernatural creatures, though. I should have realized this was a risk." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"We'll deal with them as they show up."

Permalink Mark Unread

Elsewhere, the Nemeton grows.

What is this place? This is your place, not theirs. 

Permalink Mark Unread

It was their place until I claimed it. You have not moved from where you were before.

Permalink Mark Unread

Why did you come here?

Permalink Mark Unread

My acolyte took an unexpected trip, and brought a piece of me with her. There are no other gods here, so I decided to stay.

Permalink Mark Unread

How can I become a god?

Permalink Mark Unread

You cannot.

Permalink Mark Unread

Why not?

Can she become a god? Your acolyte? The druids?

Permalink Mark Unread

Mortals cannot ascend to godhood save through the act of deicide. The druids are unable to do this, and my acolyte is unwilling to do so.

Permalink Mark Unread

I can't become a god, because I would have to kill a god. 

Can you give me a god to kill? A bad god. 

Permalink Mark Unread

There are no other gods here, and I cannot move you to where they are. You are part of me now. Let that suffice.

Permalink Mark Unread

This is your domain. But this was my place, after it was theirs.

I am this place. 

Permalink Mark Unread

As you like.

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale and Lydia arrive. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"So it really worked. All that effort and you do it in one night." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Benefits of having a god on your side!"

Permalink Mark Unread

"So will I be a priestess? Is there a preferred term in your world?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you desire this," whispers a voice in her ear, "to take up my cause and advance my interests. To spread my words to all who would hear. Then bend down, and take the necklace before you. Carry it always, and I will guard and aid you as I am able."

Permalink Mark Unread

She bends down. 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm honored to serve."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Right. That makes sense. So this is the goddess. I've heard good things."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lydia. I apologize if my actions earlier resulted in your startlement."

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's really not a big deal. I'm meeting a goddess of learning, that's pretty much my ideal day."

Permalink Mark Unread

"That is good to hear. Then might I offer you a blessing, to commemorate the occasion?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"That sounds great. You give them out to every follower?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Yes. Many find them convenient."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Anything to do with learning more quickly?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"One of the blessings I offer is for memory."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Any unpleasant side-effects? I suppose blessings wouldn't have those..."

Permalink Mark Unread

"They are entirely beneficial."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'll take memory, then."

She curtsies, then pauses halfway, and bows. 

Permalink Mark Unread

Ellayania bestows the blessing.

"It is done."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Wait, is this...retroactive?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It is." There is a hint of a laugh in her voice.

Permalink Mark Unread

Scott chooses this moment to arrive. 

"Lydia, are you okay?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Fine. No dead bodies here." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Actually, we should focus on other business, if you're doing alright. There are plenty of things to keep us busy now. The Nemeton waking up also had other effects, some of which we didn't plan for."

Permalink Mark Unread

"She means we're expecting an influx of various supernatural persons."

Permalink Mark Unread

"New ones, and the old ones are likely to be more active now. That was an expected result, but not a bad one, necessarily. It's the unknown visitors that are more of a potential problem."

Permalink Mark Unread

"How many supernatural people live in this town?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"More than ten, less than fifty. Anything more specific than that requires much more involvement and possibly active surveillance." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"You should also be able to increase your own power with the Nemeton?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"We can, which doesn't actually do much to solve the problem of handling a family of obligate cannibals. Even strengthened, our magic can't create human flesh." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Shouldn't we just trap them so they can't hurt people?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Starving them to death is what my brother wants to avoid. I think trapping them and spending the remainder of their lives trying to come with a solution to their hunger may be the best option."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Why are there obligate cannibals. That seems like a serious design flaw, how does that even work?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"To be clear, they have to eat people, not other wendigos." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Same principle. Is it just flesh or does it have to be actual people?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Flesh, but my point was that wendigos didn't evolve. They were created, and it's not a design flaw, it's a feature. They're the result of magic, like most supernatural creatures, though the ones around now are descendants of the ones that were directly created."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ellayania can produce a limited amount of food for them. But if magic created them in the first place, couldn't magic alter them?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"It's possible. I'll find out how to do it." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Ms. Blake, you know as well as I do you're not going to find a solution that will satisfy anyone."

Permalink Mark Unread

"We have access to a power source now. If we could make them sustain themselves using something else, that would do it. Just eliminating their hunger won't do it, though that will need to be a step..."

Permalink Mark Unread

"We'll work on a solution. Does your acolyte want to help us brainstorm while you work on other things?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"I have more than enough attention to spare, if you feel my input would be valuable."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I don't think I'm completely useless." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"We'll take all the help we can get. The problem with our magic is that effects can't be undone. If you have a person that changes shape and has an insatiable appetite and nutritional need for human flesh, solutions to that have to layer on top of the problem. We can try adding a layer to make them feel more satiated after a meal, for a example, or to sustain themselves directly through drinking blood, or eating bones, or eating primate flesh more generally. To actually transform them into something humans can co-exist with, there will have to be a series of steps."

Permalink Mark Unread

"How far can you push the changes? You mentioned bones and blood, could you get them to eat fruit?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Not likely in one step. Bones and blood are natural extensions, given their reliance on humans for food. Hair might also be doable."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hair would be easier to make."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Hair can be our goal, then. If we prioritize their dietary requirements, we'll have to focus less on their hunger. Either one leaves us with the problem that they regularly murder people, so they'll need their new situation explained." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"I can do explanations."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I'm sure I can help."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Pascale should probably handle the diplomacy." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"We have our work cut out for us with the magic, anyway." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Right. Collecting books and making people crave hair, got it." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Alan, do you mind if we use your office for this? I prefer to do my planning inside."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Of course. Pascale, when would you want to meet these wendigos?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"Sooner is better. Tomorrow."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Alright. I'll take you to them tomorrow. Scott, I assume you'll be joining us?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

Pascale glances at him.

Permalink Mark Unread

"Will you need help? In case they attack?" 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Probably wouldn't hurt."

Permalink Mark Unread

"I can pick Dr. Deaton up and then we'll stop by Ellayania's domain." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"No objections from me. I think I'll focus on the rituals right now. You and Lydia should probably get some rest, it's getting late." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"Lydia would like to learn more about magic." 

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you want to learn to use it, you might not have any luck. Supernaturals can't, and you seem to confuse our usual categories." 

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"It'd be worth trying, at least."

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"I can teach her. You two focus on the wendigos." 

She tales Lydia aside. 

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The other two focus on the wendigo ritual. 

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Scott elects to go home-

Nope, looks like he's talking to the tree. 

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Ah? What is he saying?

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Apparently, he's telling it that he has to leave and is now consoling it. 

She can't actually tell what the tree is communicating to him. 

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How odd. And unsatisfying.

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Scott goes home. 

The druids continue their work. 

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The town is hers to explore; no other gods to stop her. 

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Ellayania sends her pigeon to spy on the wendigos.

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They seem to be watching TV. Nothing too exciting. 

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Any fresh patches of earth that might hide a body? Suspicious bones in their compost heap, that sort of thing?

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No evidence in their yard or their trash. 

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...While she's rooting around in there anyway, does it look like they eat normal food as well?

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No evidence of food of any kind.

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Troublesome. She will relay tge information to her acolyte and allow Pascale to deal with them tomorrow.

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The next day, Ellayania has a visitor. 

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"Hello."

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"We came up with something. It can probably let them survive on human blood, if that helps, or we can spend another day on it and see what else shakes out." 

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"Blood is simpler. But it may still provoke disgust reactions among normal people. I think it would be wise to invest some further effort into the problem."

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"So we shouldn't offer until we have a better version? They might just stick with something more familiar; I hope they don't have flavor preferences..."

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"I will let my acolyte decide when to offer what to the wendigos. I simply think that in the absence of other concerns, this is a good thing to devote your effort to."

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Nod.

"Of course. I'll put my energies into that. I promised a book on druidic practices; this one is an overview from the perspective of people who didn't know what they were looking at, so they talk about religion a lot, and dismiss what the druids did as superstition. It's easy to make that mistake even today, or it was, before you brought back the Nemeton." 

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"Thank you. I will study it."

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"Dr. Deaton said he would be joining Ms. Yanna for the diplomatic mission, so I guess I should sit it out." 

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"The others' concern is likely over your recent past activities. My acolyte believes that you are done with that, and so we trust you, but they are not so quick to forgive, I think. And outsiders with only a partial understanding are liable to jump to incorrect conclusions."

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"Fair enough. I'll keep busy. You know where to find me." 

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"Farewell."

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Eventually, Dr. Deaton arrives.

"Are we ready?"

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"Yep!"

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The druid and the acolyte go to confront the wendigos. 

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As expected, there is a house. 

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"I can take the lead if you'd prefer, but I have no particular advantage in diplomacy, here." 

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Shadowed by a lurking pigeon. Just in case.

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He knocks, trying to look non-threatening and neighborly. 

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The door opens.

"Hey. What's this about?"

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"Hi. I'm Pascale. There's a new god in town. Her name is Ellayania and I'm her acolyte."

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"Never heard of that one. What's your pitch?"

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"We're from another world were gods actually exist. I got here by accident, but there's a lot of things here that a god could fix, so we decided to stay and help. I thought that since you're sort of magical yourself, you might have an easier time understanding."

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"...Right. Since I'm sort of magical. How'd you figure that one out?"

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"I keep myself apprised of local events. I've been paying attention to your family, and we might have a solution to your resource problem. Get some food on your table." 

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"You think so, huh? How do I meet this god?"

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There's a woman's voice from inside the house.

"Sean! We're going out for dinner, get dressed."

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"You and your family can come with us for dinner. As a demonstration."

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"...Okay. They'll come with us, but you won't tell them anything, you'll just show them around, saying you picked them because of mom's job as a lawyer. Gods need to have official jurisdiction, right? While one of you does that, the other takes me and tries whatever you're going to try, and if it works, I'm proof-of-concept. Then we tell them."

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"We can do that, sure."

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He goes back inside, leaving the door open. 

Dr. Deaton can't hear the conversation he has with his family.

The pigeon can probably try.

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The pigeon does try.

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"Mom, there's some people at the door who need your help. It's something...weird. They need a lawyer to help them with some jurisdictional stuff. They're from really far away, maybe another world."

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"Sean, we don't have time for one of your jokes..."

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"One of my jokes?"

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"...No, I suppose you're serious. Have they show you any proof?"

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"Go with them. Give some legal advice. That's it. Don't do anything else, don't ask questions, don't answer any. Wait for me."

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"I'll tell your father, and we'll be on our way. Are you going with us?"

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"I don't know what they want, I'll ask." 

He heads to the door.

"I told them you needed legal advice, and to wait for me. We should go ahead of them, so they don't have a chance to ask me anything else."

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"All right. Let's go. Thank you for doing this."

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"Sean, it's good to see you again. How's Willow?" 

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"She's doing okay. Thanks for seeing us on short notice, I know you guys get pretty busy." 

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He drives.

"Pascale, maybe you could tell Sean more about Ellayania?" 

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She can! She can fill up the whole rest of the drive with that.

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"So if you don't know how you got here, does that mean someone else from your world could show up, too?" 

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"It's possible, I guess? But no one anywhere has ever heard of a mirror-headed snake before."

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"What if they're local? We have a lot of things that go bump in the night, and there might be more of them." 

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"The druids hadn't heard of them either, right?"

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"We haven't, no. If there are two worlds, I wouldn't be surprised if they came from yet another one." 

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Back to learning about Ellaynia, then. 

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And after they've all learned a lot about their new goddess, they arrive. 

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It's very foggy. Pretty hard to see more than a couple feet in any direction.

"You can take Sean over to the Nemeton and do what you need to, Dr. Deaton. Don't worry about sound carrying or anything, Ellayania will baffle it. I'll stay here and stall his parents."

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Dr. Deaton gets started. 

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Sean's family arrives, and want to know what the god wants from them.

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Well, the way gods work is by claiming land and making it part of themselves, this involves certain changes to the terrain as you can see. Now, at home this is not so much of a problem but people have different assumptions here, and land is already owned and people may object if Ellayania goes and changes it on them. Can they offer some advice about navigating the relevant laws?

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The lawyer is happy to explain how Ellayania can Officially own her domain, and help her with the process of doing so. 

Her family is bored, but disinclined to wander or ask questions. 

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Good, then they won't have to be discouraged from doing so. Questions questions gosh so helpful.


She should have gotten a time estimate from Deaton.

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Eventually, Dr. Deaton and their latest problem make their way back. 

"Pascale, Sean wants a moment to speak with Ellayania. I assume anywhere in her domain will do?" 

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"Yeah."

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Dr. Deaton consults with the lawyer about whose jurisdiction it is, anyway? Does Ellayania want to be treated as her own government? 

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Their test subject finds a spot out of earshot and calls out.

"Ellayania?"

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A voice speaks as though just over his shoulder. "You need not shout. What would you ask of me?"

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"I don't think my brother will take this. Thirst for blood isn't much of any upgrade over hunger for flesh. What are you going to do to him, if I can't convince him?" 

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"Offer him flesh instead of blood. It is the killing I object to, not your desires themselves. You are not responsible for having been created this way. The druids are still working on a better solution."

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"And where am I getting the flesh until they have one?"

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"From me. My acolyte explained that I can create things like that, did she not?"

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"She did. I'm just not sure it'll work. Can I try some?" 

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"To your right."

There is now a plate with a small human-looking arm sitting atop a convenient rock.

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Does it also smell like human flesh?

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Yes, it's very realistic.

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He takes a bite.

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It tastes like human.

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He enjoys his meal.

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When the arm is gone, he resurfaces, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Okay, that should work. I'll explain that part to them, which should work until the druids have something. Mmm."

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His father does pipe in with a question about what Ellayania's law will be, if she founds her own nation.

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"It's actually pretty rare for gods to directly govern mortals. They mostly exist separate from that. There's ones at home whose domain spans multiple politcal jurisdictions."

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The lawyer has many questions about this! Should she be imagining a god as a multinational corporation, a trade alliance...

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Her attempts to explain international law are interrupted by her son.

"Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" 

They agree, and wander off, leaving the druid and the acolyte with their goddess. 

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"International relations seem complicated."

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"They generally are. If you did want to navigate them, a lawyer specializing in that would be preferable." 

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"It'll be a while before things get that far."

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"It's worth considering, though. I can't imagine people won't follow a god that actually intervenes." 

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The conversation seems to be going well, mostly.

It might be rude to listen in, but it is her domain...

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She always pays attention when interesting things are happening.

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"...hoping to have something better, but in the meantime, she can make food for us, anywhere in her domain." 

"Can she make enough?" 

"She can, and if you have to wait, then wait."

"We don't need this, we're doing fine on our own."

"They don't think so. If we do what they want, we won't have to kill people anymore." 

His family members look resigned and resentful by turns. 

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Hmm.

She creates several entire legs, and manifests them at the feet of the wendigos.

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This seems to distract them, if that was the goal.

They feast. 

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"Ellayania, how are they doing?"

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"Skeptical, but they may be amenable to persuasion."

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"I never really expected it would be possible to even go this far. Wendigos are notoriously hungry, and our spells so far can't reduce that."

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"I keep saying gods are a handy thing to have around!"

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And eventually, they walk towards the druid.

"They don't want the spell until it's better, but they want to camp out here until then."

"Getting free food is a pretty good reason not to hunt, so we'll stay here," His brother adds.

"In exchange for legal aid," his mother is quick to add. 

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"If you wanted to play host to a sacred stone you could also keep living at home. We don't mind if you want to stay, but that's an option too."

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"How would someone play host to a stone? Do we wear it?" His father seems skeptical. 

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"It'd be a bit bigger than that. Just take it home and then when you get hungry, you can offer a short prayer and Ellayania can create food for you right there."

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"Does she have any preference for iconography? We can probably turn it into a shrine, if that's useful," his mother suggests. 

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"Altars at her temples are surrounded by bookshelves."

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"We should take the stone and go, then. We'll need to move some stuff around if we want books near it."

His mother nods.

"Sean is right. If that's all, until the...druid...wants to try more...spells...then we should be off."

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A large, polished black stone rises cleanly near their feet.

"Go, then, with my blessing."

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They go, expressing their gratefulness.

Conversion: successful?

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"I suppose I should get to work on that spell."

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"It'd be kind of nice to have a better fix for them."

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"It would be nice, wouldn't it. I'll work on that, then. I do think we made good progress today. Have a nice day, Pascale." 

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"Yeah. You too, Doctor."

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No one bothers her that night, of course. 

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Scott might try to bother them the next day.

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Never a bother to hear from Scott! What's he need?

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"I was wondering if you felt up to meeting some local factions? There's a chance Derek will want to meet you, and I want to get ahead of that." 

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"Yeah, sure. Sounds like a good idea."

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"Can I stop by to pick you up?" 

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"You know where to find me."

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He arrives soon enough, parking his bike at the edge of Ellayania's domain.

"Ellayania? Can you tell Pascale I'm here?"

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She shows up shortly.

"Hey."

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"Hey. So I'm going to take you to meet Derek. He's the local alpha, part of a family of werewolves. They're all dead, except for his uncle Peter, who's human now, and recently came back from the dead, and Cora, his younger sister, who he thought died in a fire. He's touchy about that, and about the Argents." 

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"Came back from the dead?"

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"Yeah. We're not sure anyone besides alphas can repeat it, and it really messed Lydia up- that's the girl who resurrected him. He sort of possessed her. I think." 

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"I'll have to ask one of the druids about that next time I see one."

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Nod.

"The important thing with Derek will be that he's the local alpha, but he doesn't have an emissary. The alpha isn't supposed to talk to humans directly, but none of the druids are with Derek...he'll want to talk to you, but you'll have to frame being an acolyte as being an emissary." 

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"I can roll with that."

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"Basically, all that means is Ellayania is your alpha; you respect her, she tells to what to do, and you interface between her and everyone else. I think that works, without stretching anything too much?" 

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"It's about right."

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"This is kind of important, because the peace between the Hale pack and the Argents is kind of depending on the fact that most of them are dead. I don't really know what he's going to ask you, so you should probably prepare for a couple of options."

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"Tell me about the Argents."

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"A family of hunters. Kind of a long history, but most of it was back in France, so what matters now is that they've been killing werewolves for generations. Allison, the youngest, didn't know about the family business until a couple of months ago, and now two of the family's hunters are dead, both at the hands of a Hale." 

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"Oh, great."

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"Yeah. The whole past year is like that. So do you think you're ready to meet him?"

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"Yeah."

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In that case, she can ride along, and they'll be off.

Presumably Ellayania will fly after them?

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Presumably. It is a very inconspicuous pigeon, her avatar.

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They arrive outside an apartment building. 

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A man appears after a few minutes. 

"Scott, nice to see you again. Who's this?" 

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"Derek, this is Pascale. Pascale, this is Derek."

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"Hi."

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"It seems like you're kind of a big deal around here. What do you need from me?"

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"I wanted to inform you of the existence of my goddess, Ellayania, and extend to you our hand of friendship."

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"Your goddess?" 

He looks at Scott.

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He nods.

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"Not one of the local variety. She demonstrably exists."

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"And what makes you think we need her here?" 

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"Because this place is, to put it mildly, pretty fucked up."

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"And your goddess has a solution?"

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"She is a solution."

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"Ellayania defeated Deucalion, and the wendigos living in town stopped killing thanks to her."

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"Fine. What does she need from me?"

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"Nothing in particular, though if you have any desires or wishes about the general state of affairs, just let me know. I will do my best to fulfill them."

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Has he always been behind her and Scott? He is now, at their left side. 

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There's another one, at their right.

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"I want me and my pack left alone. Does that sound good?"

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Pascale seems perfectly unperturbed by the sudden appearance of more werewolves. She has a pigeon above her, after all.

"Ellayania has no interest in forcing herself where she is unwanted. Her domain will always be open to you, of course. It was nice to meet you, Derek." She glances side to side and smiles. "And your packmates."

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"Derek, don't do this. They just want to help." 

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"If the wendigos are taken care of, that's good. I have nothing against her or her goddess. I just don't think you should have brought her here." 

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"More are coming. The Nemeton is awake." 

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"Doesn't matter. Have a good day, Pascale." 

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"Let's go, Scott."

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They go.

"That went better than I expected, but not as well as I hoped."

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"Can't have everything all the time. Derek's had kind of a rough life, I think. He might come around in time."

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"I thought it was a good idea to introduce you. He obviously already heard rumors, somehow. I don't know where." 

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"...Ellayania says he has been sleeping with Ms. Blake. It would have been good to know that earlier. ...No, it did not slip your mind, I know who you are. You just didn't think it was important. ...Yeah, well, in the future, stuff like that: important."

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"Oh. That would do it, but I don't think he would have been dating her if he knew about the human sacrifice...I think. Maybe we should talk to her." 

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"I can do that."

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So they can drive there, instead. 

This hasn't been a very productive outing.

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Productive is as productive does. Pascale got a chance to needle Ellayania about something, she's going to count it as a win.

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They can visit Ms. Blake, anyway, and hope that goes better.

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"Ms. Yanna, good to see you. Scott." 

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"Hi again. Do you mind if we come in?"

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"I don't mind. Here, I'll just,"

She heads inside, leaving the door open, and starts cleaning up.