haventkilledusyet | 1st Fight

[Another New Feather season, another flood of confused new residents. Unfortunately, Gretel has no idea how routine this is for the village. She, actually, knows very little of anything at present. She only knows not to stop moving, to keep going. If she stops to rest now, she won't get up, and it's cold enough that she knows to fear exposure. She hasn't lived this long just to be killed by the cold.

Her body shows signs of the ordeal she's obviously been put through since her arrival. Dressed in only the New Feather gown, there is no hiding the abuse of the elements. Her skin is red from the chill she's fighting, and there are scratches on her legs and hands as well as blood on her bare feet, fresh against the well-worn scars on her body. She's walked all day, crossed the field after waking alone and barely dressed and fought her way through the branches of the forest, guided by a few tall buildings that served as the promise of civilization. Faint traces of vomit cling to her lips and the back of her hand despite an earlier attempt to clean it off. The cause is likely the patch of feathers missing from her left wing.

The fountain glitters in the light of the moon, and Gretel uses it as a focus. Walking all day is nothing new, but she's barely dressed -- especially for this weather -- and has an untreated wound. Or, at least, that's what the damage to the unwanted growth on her back feels like. She has resisted the allure of every source of water, too worried she might slump over and never be found. But the buildings all around her, even dark as they might be right now, promise traffic come morning.

Gretel's throat burns as she drops to her knees and cups her hands to bring water to her mouth. She's shouted herself hoarse as she's walked all day, and now the fatigue is setting in. She's not sure she can even get up any time soon without some help.]

(Two requests for Gretel's first Luceti encounter: please no magic users or non-humans. Either would provoke a very violent reaction, and I'd prefer to avoid that for this thread. Thanks.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How can Journals be linked?

[Now, there's a definite, creeping tone of distrust in her voice. It's all starting to come together. Piece by piece.

A strange place. Alone. The wings. No Hansel. Her clothes.

And now... books linked. Even with her head pounding, even with her stomach knotting, even with her aching muscles, she's seeing the edges of it, and it has her tensing all over.]

[He's noting her unease and while it's sort of making him feel a bit unsure of this whole situation he won't leave. She's in trouble after all.]

Um...I think I read that the journals are linked by something called 'shifts.' It's some kind of magic and science.

[Magic.

Fucking magic.

She manages not to say it, manages to bite her lip and keep from saying anything. Just a kid. Just a stupid kid. He doesn't need to listen to the things she knows. But, God. It made her even sicker to her stomach.

She tries again to stand. Painful. Very painful. And she sits back down, breathing hard.]

I... don't have money on me. [But she needs food and shelter and clothes.

This is a bad day gotten worse. A lot worse.]

[Ooooh...he knows that look.

She didn't like magic. It couldn't be science because seriously, when did Hansel and Gretel have to fight a scientist?

He understands though. Magic has hurt people but, it's helped people too.

That wasn't the point right now though. She was hurt and they could talk about it later if he remembered.

At the mention of money, he offers a smile.]

That's the good thing about this place. Everything's free.

[And as he says "That's the good thing"... she groans.]

Shit.

[The word's out before she can stop it.]

Sorry.

[Kid. Shouldn't swear. She'll work on that. Gretel shakes her head.]

Nothing is ever free. Especially when you're dealing with magic.

[Because that's how it starts. Something free or for a nominal price. Something that seemed so unimportant... and then the price started to increase. And before you knew it... Well.

She'd seen that story play out before. Too many times.]

[Magic always comes with a price...yeah that was something that would always come with him. His face moves from general curiosity to neutral.]

I know...magic always comes with a price. And we're probably all going to pay for it soon by the Malnosso.

[Gretel gave him a bit more clarity on this. They got food and living space and heating for free, didn't they? But in the end the Malnosso would come to collect. Maybe they did with their shifts and experiments.]

[It's easier to be professional than worry about her injuries or the cold. She can't do her job unless she can actually know what she's up against.

Gretel tries again -- and fails -- to stand up. Few minutes more, she tells herself. Then she'll be fine.]

The Malnosso, huh? Group? [Probably. "The" usually suggested a group. But that word. Could be collective or the name of an overlord. Some archaic language she didn't know.]

[He moves to go catch whatever he can of her when she's about to fall. But she seems to do it herself. As much as he wants to suggest to get help or get her to the clinic it doesn't seem like she's the type who would.

So, he'll continue to answer her questions.]

Yeah, they're a group that usually puts on experiments on the village. They're evil.

[Gretel can admit that it'll be awhile before she can move on her own. What she won't submit to is a doctor's care. Hasn't needed one for years, doesn't need one now. Not, at least, according to her.]

Great. A coven. I hate covens.

You've dealt with people like this before?

Nothing quite so... elaborate. Like the wings. Those are new. But the basic situation? Seen it a hundred times.

[Oh, well, that sounds pretty cool. If it weren't for the whole being kidnapped thing. She's still injured however.]

Okay, but are you going to be okay?

Yeah. I'll be fine. Don't worry.

[Not that she's sure she believes herself, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that this kid doesn't worry about her.

It's her job to worry about him. Or at least the people like him. Especially the kids like him.]

1st Fight - [ action ]

action;

action; let me know if i need to edit I feel like i might be treading on thin ice

action; Not at all! Gretel's just... paranoid? about magic.

Re: action; Not at all! Gretel's just... paranoid? about magic.

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