deercountry | February Catch All

[ Ange holds up her hands in front of her, almost defensively, even though her expression is just a touch too calm to really match that intention. ]

I doubt jinxing it really is a thing here.

[ Not when - if this is some bigger thing - it's controlled by the Pthumerians.

And nothing or no one can keep them from escalating things at all times, Ange is pretty sure. ]

Besides, isn't it better to think about it? Now you can prepare in advance. Make an emergency plan.

[A wry smile crosses her face as Ange tries to defend her position.]

I think I've got more than enough going on in the bad luck department already. I guess saying something that probably can't-

[She stops herself.]

You know what? I'm not even going to tempt fate even more and say it. You're right - a plan's probably the best way to go here.

Then tell me. I'll help.

[ Sure, Ange may be the bearer of bad news here. But on the other hand, she's also very much willing to help Willow out with this entire situation.

Not even just because she was the messenger, but just-- Willow is a friend, why wouldn't Ange help her if this place may somehow be giving her an especially crappy time right now? ]

What has happened to you so far? Maybe we can find some patterns. [ Which would definitely help with a plan to prevent more mayhem.. ]

[Willow runs a hand through her hair with a sigh. Admitting to her running tally of accidents is a bit embarrassing, but she is also aware it's probably necessary to figure out what's going on. At least she knows she can trust Ange not to laugh at her over it.]

Okay, let's see. I fell up the stairs this morning on my way up to my room, and that was when I was still on four feet instead of two. I broke a glass and cut my hand at lunch. I tried to take a book off a shelf at the Archives and it fell on my head. I had a cup of tea next to me while I was working, and the lid must've been loose - knocked it over and ruined all my notes for the day. So I gave up and came here instead - slipped on the ice on the way and now...

[She gestures the crystal.]

It's been a lot.

[ At least Willow is right in her assessment - Ange doesn't even slightly look like she's about to laugh as she's listening to the list of incidents, even though its sheer length makes Willow's life suddenly sound like an extremely corny slapstick movie.

This isn't really the sort of thing Ange finds funny in the first place anyway - which helps. ]

I see.

[ Instead it sounds more like she's quietly contemplating all of this for a moment. ]

So it's not been anything too dangerous yet, right? [ Sure, some of that must have been painful, but in a way that's.. very mild by this place's standards. ]

No, nothing too dangerous. Nothing -

[She stops herself before deciding to bring up scenarios that could put her in actual danger, as opposed to just being embarrassing, or leaving her sore afterwards. If there really is some kind of curse or something following her, she doesn't want to risk manifesting destiny by giving it suggestions. So instead she finishes lamely with:]

Uh, nothing too dangerous yet, anyway. There's got to be a way to stop it, though, right? You know. Before it does get worse?

That's what I was thinking.

[ Even if Ange doesn't know what that way is just yet. But she refuses the concept of this escalating enough for it to actual become some danger to Willow's life, rather than just something that's basically just an annoying inconvenience.

The girl holds out her hands in front of her until a book appears in her hands out of a cloud of golden butterflies. It looks a little like a notebook on the inside, and Ange flips the pages like she's looking for something. ]

Do you remember doing anything out of the usual before this started? Or seeing anything of that sort?

[Willow's eyebrows raise a little at the question, as she considers it. Has anything out of the ordinary happened before all this started?]

No, I don't think. Nothing that stands out, anyway. It's just been... you know. Normal for here. I've been pretty much just sticking to my regular routine.

[She reaches under the counter for a leather bound book and draws a sharp hiss of pain as she raps her knuckles against the underside of the shelf as she pulls it out. It's fine. She's not even going to comment on it. She just gives Ange a tired look and begins to flip through the pages.]

Nothing stands out, anyway.

[ Ange definitely looks over when Willow hisses like that. It's not quite as surprising anymore at this point, but.. it sure does make Ange think that they really have to resolve this.

It's one thing if these small things keep happening in a row, but what if they become bigger? No one is durable enough to try and dodge impossible danger all the time. ]

So it's like random bad luck. [ Not helping much. Ange looks at her notes for this month last year, but-- nothing there either, huh. ] .. it'd make more sense if this was happening next month. I mean, this seems way more of a Moss King sort of thing than a Doorway one, right?

[ Unless it's somehow connected to Willow's relationships. Or maybe they're just messing with each other's months now, just to make it extra confusing? ]

Yeah, it doesn't really make sense, does it? Unless they're, I dunno, working together, or something. I guess it could have something to do with Riteior too, maybe. But the whole bad luck thing does seem right in the Moss King's wheelhouse.

[She hmms thoughtfully as she considers the predicament.]

I mean, he is kind of chaotic. It could still be him just springing up a little early. Or Riteior. He'd be on my suspect list too, given you know. His whole everything.

Maybe we should do that ritual again?

[ It did say they'd have to do it a few times before Riteoir's power would truly be weakened, right? Maybe it'd at least stop him from being able to reach over and influence this city - whether it's influencing the Pthumerians or the people living here. ]

I guess it wouldn't be a waste, even if this particular thing isn't being caused by him. He's a pain in the ass anyway, so we'd at least be rid of him. [ Even if it means they'd have to see if people with different bloodtypes than them are actually available to do the ritual. ]

Yeah, maybe.

[A little too used to magic backfiring on her, Willow doesn't sound so sure. Maybe it's not a great idea for her to try any kind of ritual until they can clear up the bad luck problem.]

I think first, though, we should look for some kind of... I don't know. Good luck? Anti-bad luck? Sort of a ritual - or maybe even a cleansing one. I don't really want to risk you know. Setting the shop on fire, or summoning something horrible or anything if something goes sideways.

[ .. well. Willow does have a point. If the other can't even stand here without knocking stuff over, then who knows that could happen if she were to try something a little more intricate than that..

Even if Ange isn't sure she knows any spell or ritual that's got to do with luck. And she can't let Willow do it by herself when that might just jinx her worse somehow.

She frowns in thought, quiet for a moment, until an idea rises to her. ]

Maybe you just need a good luck charm.

[ That'd be easier, right? Nothing Willow herself would have to do about it. No chance of screwing anything up. ]

Don't they sell something like that here in town? [ The locals do sometimes sell the oddest things.. ]

Probably, yeah. There should be something in here that'll help.

[Willow keeps flipping through the book without looking up until she finally lands on the page she's looking for.]

Ah! Here - So, it looks like this is a thing that happens sometimes. There's a ritual to fix it. You have to... get a carving...

[She peers down at the page, and then taps a sketch someone has done on it.]

Oh, look, here! There's a picture. Oh, it's kind of cute - it looks like a little squid. Uh. Anyway. So you get this carving, add a drop of blood from you and someone from a different blood type you're close to. Leave it overnight, then... Ah. Burn that and a 'fully bloomed rose' in the doorway of the home of the person who's cursed.

Always weirdly specific, huh.

[ But despite Ange's half-deadpan remark, she is rather glad that Willow found such a concrete solution in there. It saves them some asking around, after all - and Ange is all for being spared a few extra social situations, thanks.

She moves over towards the other girl, starting to copy the words down into her own little notebook.

You never know when it might come in handy to have this knowledge at the ready, after all.

While she's writing, she pipes up with: ]

Do you want to use some of my blood? [ It's offered pretty casually, but.. you know, it's Trench. It's pretty normal here, especially with how long Ange has already been here.

And she's pretty casual about this stuff to begin with. ]

[Willow gives Ange a tired look. She's got that right - Trench always is weirdly specific with its blood rituals.]

You'd think once in awhile, someone would come across a spell that's a little less complicated, and a little more traditional. You know, a little eye of newt, toe of frog, that kind of thing.

She slides the book towards Ange to make it easier for her to re-copy into her own notes.]

But yeah, if you're up for helping, I won't say no. This whole 'bad luck' thing is getting old fast.

[ .. Ange has to wonder if frog toes are such a common thing..

It's not like there's a witch from her world she could ask. She's pretty sure Beatrice, who's also in Trench, would just go along with it to troll her, rather than give her a serious answer.

It's something to think about as she writes, though she sounds incredibly casual when she speaks up again. ]

Yeah, it's totally fine. [ It's not like Ange is going to leave a friend out in the cold.

Even though there's no way she's going to say something that sappy out loud, even if it's what's happening here. ]

It's just a little bit of blood. Just a drop. [ She taps the text. ] I don't think losing that is going to kill me.

February Catch All

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