2017-04-23: Witch Woes

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  • Log: Witch Woes
  • Cast: Sephilia Lampbright, Talise Gianfair
  • Where: Starfall Saloon
  • Date: April 23, 2017
  • Summary: Sephilia gets in witch trouble again and brings her woes to Talise.


<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia's not very good at dissembling. It's kind of a known issue! So when the poor girl is a sobbing, hysterical mess, it's obvious that something's happened. The trouble is actually getting out of her exactly what it was that happened last night--she had gone out for just a short while, and returned...well, a wreck.

On the other hand...it's probably not too hard to guess what might have done this to her, really. There's only been the one subject that's actually got her so emotional in the past.

Agatha.

Currently, Sephy's sitting, clinging tightly to Chauncey, barely managing not to cry, though the persistent sniffle has continued, hinting at how close the girl is to breaking down at any moment...

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise had been out last night, too. She came back frustrated and went straight to bed, but didn't sleep.

She slept in this morning, though, and slouched downstairs to get breakfast from one of the servers who's not Lunata. It wasn't that great because, of course, it wasn't Lunata making it. She's making do and eating the breakfast anyway, because it's sausage and bacon and hash browns and it's hard to mess that up.

With a blink, she glances around the saloon, only to frown as she spots a familiar figure curled up in a tiny ball in the back corner. Immediately her eyelids lower halfway, and she lets out a slow sigh. So much for telling Sephilia to hang out in the tavern where people could see her while she was gone.

Balancing a cup of coffee in one hand and her plate in the other, she heads for the table, hooking a chair with her ankle and scooting it over to sit beside Sephilia's. She sets her plate down and reaches out without a word to pull her arms around Sephilia's shoulders, pulling her in for a tight hug.

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy clings tightly to Talise, glad that the older woman is there for her now. She holds on for a few moments, then, realizing that Talise brought breakfast over for herself, she lets go and sits back.

"I was only out for a few minutes," she says, voice quavering. Yup, something happened all right.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

As Sephilia pulls back, Talise reaches out with one hand and scoots her plate over on the table. She places it in front of Sephilia instead.

Her other hand doesn't leave the tiny girl's shoulder, squeezing tightly, then giving her a gentle shake as if to try to snap her out of it a little. Turning in her seat, she takes Sephilia's opposite shoulder too, leaning in. "You don't have to beat yourself up. These things happen," she says quietly, giving her head a shake and flashing a faint smile.

Lifting a hand from the girl's shoulder, she brushes a thumb over Sephilia's cheek, then up to brush back a bit of her hair. "Was it the Witch?" she asks. "Or someone else?"

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"It was her. The witch, I mean. Agatha. She..." Sephilia swallows hard, poking at the food on the plate without much enthusiasm. "She said...said I've been naughty."

And then the girl can't keep the tears inside anymore.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

With a slow sigh, Talise once again brings her arms up, wrapping them around Sephilia's shoulders and pulling the girl in again to bury her face against her collar. Her fingers stroke through Sephilia's hair. With the girl's face safely down there, Talise lifts her eyes to the ceiling and closes them, teeth together as she lets out a soft breath.

Goddess damn it.

Finally she looks down and nuzzles into the top of Sephilia's head for a moment as if to try and calm her down. Then she smiles faintly. "Don't let her scare you. She only has power over you if you let her have it," she murmurs. "The more you believe what she says, the more powerful she is. So don't believe her."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy shakes her head, sniffing back tears. "But...but she said my family is in danger. My Dad and Mom, back on Lunar, Talise! She said things are getting orse there--we know that Althena's going weird, but--but--Talise, my Dad and Mom!"

Sephy hasn't got to the worst part yet...but she's almost afraid to mention it.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"And yet she's here," Talise points out with a frown. "I really, really doubt that she's in a position to hurt your parents. She's saying that because she knows how much you care about them, and she knows it'll hurt you when she suggests she can do something." Her hands move back to Sephilia's shoulders, grip tightening to rub slowly, almost as if trying to calm the girl.

Then she leans back with a small, quiet smile, though her eyes are hard. "Besides," she says. "Your dad's George Lampbright and he's at least as great an adventurer as all the best adventurers on Filgaia. He taught you everything you know, right? So if you and Chauncey are tough - and I know you are - then what chance would the Witch have against your dad?"

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy shakes her head. "B-but, but...she said that all of Lunar was in danger! Because of the Lord of Calamity and because of Althena and because of--because of fire! And she said..." The girl wrinkles her nose in concentration. "That I was 'consigning them to their fate.' While I was safe here!"

She knows that none of that makes sense, she does, but it's that last bit that's really bugging her. "She's not threatening them, she isn't like that, I don't think. Sh-she wants..." Sephilia bites her lower lip, and trails off.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Then she's just talking big," Talise says with a shake of her head. "Remember this. If she had the power to go home, she'd have gone by now. And even if she did have that power, she'd take a lot more from you than you'd want to give."

Then the girl peters out, and Talise frowns, her hands falling to her thighs as she straightens in her seat slightly. Canting her head to the side, she urges with arched brows, "Go ahead and tell me. You shouldn't feel obligated to keep secrets for her. She /wants/ you to hide things from your friends, remember? That's how she tries to get you to face her alone."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"She doesn't want to face me alone," Sephy wails. "She said that she wants you and Ida to apologize to her, an' you--YOU--hafta pick the offerings now! I can't just do nothing, Talise, what if she's right?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise's eyes darken a couple of shades and her jaw tightens up. That hangs in the air for several seconds. They are long, heavy seconds.

It occurs to Talise that she's a lot better at dealing with up-front challenges like bandits kidnapping a king than she is at people trying to manipulate her and her friends. Her first thought is to drag Agatha out of her witch hole and beat her to death. Then it occurs to her that she's not sure Agatha is even killable. Looking away, she considers the tabletop for a moment, one incisor tooth digging slightly into her lower lip as she exhales through a small bite. A fingertip circles the tabletop a couple of times.

Sephilia has probably not seen Talise actually look unsure of herself before now.

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"I told her that wasn't going to happen," Sephy sniffs. "I told her you'd never agree to it." Tears continue to stream down her face. She doesn't really know how to handle a Talise who looks unsure, though. "Um...you got this breakfast for you, right?" she asks, trying to say something, anything normal, to return Talise to her normal confident, solid self. "I didn't ask...but did things go well...for you?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Resting an elbow on the table, Talise chews on one knuckle for a moment, not answering at first. There's a distant look in her eyes, as if she's not quite there right now. Behind her eyes, her mind is working a mile a minute.

It's not working through worry. It's working through strategies.

Finally she shakes her head. "Listen," she says finally, and she looks over to flash Sephilia a quiet smile, some of that certainty returning. "I know you're scared, and that it seems like she's got all the cards. But we can find a way home without her. Ida, Lyn and I are looking all the time. A lot of people are. And once we get home, we'll set things right."

She sighs at the last question. "We found where those bandits are holding the King, but they have a Gear, so we had to retreat."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy sniffles, but she doesn't suspect that any amount of wheedling will convince Talise right now--and it might be better to approach this over time. "A Gear? Really? A working one? I've only seen wrecked ones," she says instead. She hugs Chauncey once again.

"Did I show you that? In my journal, I drew pictures of it. Was it scary to see a working one?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Bringing her hands up, Talise clasps Sephilia's shoulders again and leans forward. "Hey," she says, then manages a light smile. "Here's one you ought to think about. Nobody seems to know about the Pyre Witch here on Filgaia; Riese and Ida had no idea. That means she got here at the same time you and I got here. If she had the power to go back and forth between here and Lunar at will, more people would know about her. That means she probably doesn't have the power to go back." She sets her jaw. "She's the kind of person who can lie so confidently that you'll believe it's the truth - she'll say a bunch of things that seem true because you're worried about them already, then act like she can fix it all for you, for a price. But she can't fix it. She says she wants to help you but what she's really doing is hurting you. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking what she says is true."

She lets her breath out, then, and gives her head a shake, with a bit of a smile. "It was pretty intimidating - the Gear, I mean. Zed wanted to fight it."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"Zed wants to fight everything," Sephy snorts. "He's such a dork." After a moment, Sephilia bites her lower lip again. "I...I can't just not listen when my Dad and Mom might be in danger. What if it were your Dad and Mom and..." Sephy trails off again, realizing that she might have overstepped. She knows Talise is an orphan, but it's never really been something Sephy's talked too much about with her, and she realizes as she speaks that it might be a sore point.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Zed is a very big dork," Talise agrees. "But he's useful sometimes. And not a bad guy once you calm him down a little."

She looks off to one side as Sephilia brings up her own parents. Her lips come together for a moment.

When she looks back to the girl, she smiles quietly. "My mom and dad were always in danger," she says, her voice softer. "The ship I grew up on wasn't just any ship... it was a pirate ship. My dad was a con artist and a criminal and my mom was a pirate and a mercenary, so they were always running from the law, or going into danger. And then they went off to find a treasure and never came back."

Her eyes dip to her lap, then come up again, smile faint. "I was ten, and I hated myself for not being there. But over time I've started to realize that I can't control everything. I could've gone with them, but I might've disappeared too. And I know they wouldn't have wanted that."

Reaching out, Talise brushes the backs of her fingers along Sephilia's cheek, then down beneath her chin to lift it a bit. "You're stronger than most fifteen-and-a-half-year-olds. I wasn't as good an adventurer as you when I was that age. My Uncle Piet always went with me. I know your mom and dad would be very proud of you. And I know that if George Lampbright were here, he wouldn't want you to throw everything away or give in to evil for his sake. You have to trust your dad."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy hugs Talise again. "I...I know what she said doesn't make sense, because she said the Lord of Calamity would be part of the danger on Lunar an'...an' that's Lucia, right? That's who's supposed to be the Lord of Calamity? And Lucia's here on Filgaia too. An'...an' I'm sorry that your parents disappeared. I didn't mean to..." She sniffles.

"You think my Dad would be proud of me, even though I'm a crybaby?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"I think your dad would be very proud of you," Talise assures with a smile, once more wrapping Sephilia up in her arms. "And you shouldn't feel bad about the Witch making you feel this way. What you're going through is something nobody should have to go through and it's alright to cry and feel helpless. So long as you don't let her win."

Her lips come together in a light purse. "Sorey says Lucia is," she says with a shake of her head. "But I think more is going on there. Lucia says it's someone called Zophar, but I'm not sure who that is. And Lucia doesn't seem like she's evil. She's strange, but I don't think she's the Lord of Calamity."

Sighing, she gives Sephilia another squeeze. "The point is, there's a lot of stuff going on there and it's complicated. But it'll get even more complicated if we let the Witch steal our souls."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy sniffles and nods. "At least she's the worst thing we have to worry about, right?" she asks.

Oh Sephy, you poor sweet child.

"I'm scared of her. Her fingers are like...like sharp claws. And she appeared and disappeared from nothing! An' apart from all the stuff she said, she's somehow here, on Filgaia, too."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"She probably got moved here the same way we did," Talise says with a tilt of her head and a smile. "And the thing is...."

The smile vanishes, and she exhales. "...she's not the only monster from Lunar who wound up on Filgaia, either. It's not just her. And it wasn't just us, Lucia's friends and the Guard, either."

She leans back in her seat, hands falling to her lap. "Have you ever heard the story of the White Knight - of K.K.?"

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia nods, eyes wide. "He was one of my favorite scary stories, too," she says. "I used to make my Dad tell me all kinds of stories about the White Knight! Did someone here meet him, too? Ohhhh." Sephy shudders. "I wouldn't want to be that person. Agatha is just talking so far, as much as she scares me, but K.K.?"

She hugs Chauncey, and finally reaches out to the plate of breakfast, popping a bit of hash brown into her mouth, eyes still wide.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

God damn it, Sephilia.

Talise gives her head a shake and smiles, giving the girl's shoulder a light pat. "Yeah. Yeah, someone here met him," she says.

"I met him."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia freezes.

"Oh."

She swallows the hashbrown.

"I...I didn't mean..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Shaking her head, Talise settles back in her seat, then turns with a smile to gesture to a passing server, indicating Sephilia's own plate - she wants breakfast for herself, too. "No, don't worry about it," she says with a little laugh, trying not to make it sound forced. "And I don't know if K.K. is a man or a woman, actually; the helmet makes it impossible to tell just from the voice. It could be a deep-voiced woman."

Her eyes dip to her coffee; she raises it, taking a sip. When she lowers the cup, it's with her lips drawn together in a line.

"I'm not gonna let them just do whatever they want," she says, voice low, but determined.

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"What happened? You can't just say you met the White Knight and then not tell me about it," Sephy says, grabbing a rasher of bacon. "You aren't hurt, are you? You don't look hurt, not like I'd expect from the White Knight, at least. And..."

Sephy nods her agreement. "I don't want to let them do whatever they want either. I...now that I'm a bit calmer, I can see that Agatha was just playing on my fears..."

"What did we do to deserve this, Talise?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

A plate of bacon, sausage and hash browns finds its way before Talise. She bites into a sausage and chews, swallowing roughly.

"No... it didn't hurt me," she says with a shake of her head. "But it could've. Apparently the knight chooses me. It threw a bunch of cryptic stuff at me, then threatened me. Then he came at me with both swords, but disappeared before I could block his attack."

Not that she's confident she could've done it. She takes another bite of sausage, then sighs and reaches over to give Sephilia's hair a light tousling. "We went adventuring. That's part of what happens when you go out into the world. Sometimes you run into some stuff that's dangerous. It's hard, but if you beat it, that's what makes you a hero."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"Well I mean I went EXPLORING," Sephy says. She's still sniffly, but she doesn't appear to be crying anymore. "Me an' Chauncey are just explorers. I know before I said we'd be the first to outsmart the Witch, and stuff, but are we...am I really someone who could be a hero? You are, you totally are, but...me?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Curling her fingers, Talise runs them through Sephilia's hair, giving her a couple of slow, soothing strokes. "Well. Some say it's best not to think of yourself as a hero. Just think of yourself as a normal person. All you can do in life is face the challenges that confront you and rise to meet them. That's what life's all about."

Biting into a strip of bacon, she swallows, then leans back to cross a leg over the opposite. "Mmn. You're a tough girl and you've got Chauncey with you. You're a good explorer and you're getting stronger because of your experiences. With time, you'll learn how to handle people like the Witch."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia frowns, tapping her nose. "The problem is, we can't just...hope she'll go away, either, can we? She's not going to just leave us alone, even if we don't do what she says? So...what do we do? An'...I want to be a part of whatever we do this time. I'm tired of hiding."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"She probably won't," Talise admits, frowning and planting an elbow on the table. Her chin ends up in her palm as she leans forward heavily, brows creased with consideration. "But we can't just roll over and give in to her, either. We've got to find some way to outsmart her."

She moistens her lips, then glances over at Sephilia. "I'll tell you what. We should get together with Ida and Lyn and make a plan. They're smarter than both of us. If anyone can help, it's them."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy frowns. "I think maybe we should talk to Hiro and Lucia and see what they say, too. I wonder if they know that the Pyre Witch and the White Knight are here--I think they'd probably want to. Plus I want to talk to Lemina. Maybe I can learn some magic that will help us against Agatha's magic?"

She taps her nose, daydreaming a bit about being a magical heroine, as she munches on another mouthful of hash browns.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"It might be worth doing that," Talise agrees with a nod. "I don't know Lemina very well but if you think you can learn something from her, it's worth exploring. Just don't let her swindle you out of all your gella! I get the idea she's a bit of a saleswoman."

She smiles thoughtfully and shifts to cradle her cheek in her palm, free hand catching her fork and spearing a hash brown. "We'll figure something out," she promises. "Even if it takes some time."

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy grins. "She might be a saleswoman but I talked her down from even her discounted rate on membership in the Magic Guild," she says slyly. "Cause I don't have access to the library and other stuff back home." This time she grabs a bit of sausage on her fork, biting into it with surprising relish--she apparently hasn't eaten since last night either!

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"She wouldn't give /me/ a discount," Talise pouts before flashing Sephilia a smile. "Good for you."

She tucks into her breakfast at this point, taking a bite of her sausage, swallowing, and chasing it with a long drink of coffee. The sight of Sephilia wolfing down her food with such gusto puts a smile on her face.

Seems she just had to get the tears out.