Phoenixes Story snippets and ideas

[maniac_ian]

RIP Haley

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

RIP Haley

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Spoiler for those that haven't played terraria

Yep, though she shouldbeabletokeep him alive until she deals with the wall of flesh.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 5

Amy Dallon reaches up to touch her left eye as she looks in the mirror at home. On the sink, she has a tea light candle burning to cover the incessant flashing of the energy saving bulbs.

As her finger touches the eyeball, she sighs sadly when she doesn't get the flood of information about the eye's biology. It was a vain hope.

Taking a deep breath, she reaches into her purse and pulls out the eye spoon that the hospital allowed her to bring home. She carefully opens the sterile packaging and places it on the sink while she grabs the photocopies of the procedure for removing the eyeball.

In bright red text at the top it says, WARNING WILL CAUSE BLINDNESS IF PERFORMED BY AN UNTRAINED PROFESSIONAL.

Ignoring the warning, she reviews the process once more and lifts the spoon to her eye. As it gets closer, her eye closes automatically so she uses her other hand to lift the eyelids out of the way. As she tries to bring the spoon closer again, her eyes keep falling down to look at the bright red warning as they both start streaming.

Eventually she throws the spoon in the sink with a cry of frustration and a desperate need to see that impossible biology again.

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​

As normal I have a packed lunch, as you can't beat home grown mushrooms. Though my selection is a little bland today as I've had to leave all the really tasty ones at home. With a slightly mournful look into my bag of mushrooms, I stand up and carry it over to the cafeteria counter in the hope that they have something that will make my lunch more exciting.

While I'm waiting in line, I watch one of the other students talk to the lady at the till. The lady then turns around and takes a bottle of fruit juice from the fridge behind her. I quickly close my human eye so that I can see what else they have in there. Only Apple and Orange, but they both say they're pure.

A wide smile spreads across my face, so I discreetly grab a napkin to wipe it off while I rot the fruit juice in just the right way to make it fizzy, and still safe for humans to consume.

It doesn't take long for the line to get to the point where I can walk straight to the lady at the till. I quickly grab a tray and skip over to the gap between the food and the till. My feet impatiently dance a jig while the other three kids are paying. I'm glad that I did the entire fridge, as all three of them buy fruit juice.

Once I've bought one of each juice, I head over to a table by the wall and put my tray down before sliding along the bench seat to the wall. There I sit cross-legged on the wall and start eating my lunch.

I've not even finished two mushrooms before Amy Dallon brings her own tray over and grips it so tightly her knuckles turn white. "Can I sit with you and se-hold your hand while we eat?"

I look up at her, and a couple of students let out small screams for some reason. After a moment I say, "Sure, but you can't have any more parts of me."

Amy grumbles, "I didn't actually want your eye either."

"Then why did you tell me to give it to you?"

"I, uh, just wanted to borrow it."

I shake my head in confusion. I also consider taking it off so that I can give it a good scratch, but I'm concerned that little miss grabby Amy would try and take it from me.

"You really need to learn the difference between give and borrow. They're separate words for a reason."

Amy gives me a strange look before she shakes her head and grabs hold of my hand.

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​

As I'm leaving school, I'm thinking about the case 53's that were covered in our history and world affairs class today. On the one hand they're so beautiful it was almost painful to look at them. Especially Gregor the Snail, I think that the Queen of the Marsh would much appreciate meeting him. I may even gain a favor if I can arrange it.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by Sophia jogging up beside me, "Um, Hebert. Wait!"

I turn around and put a smile on my face. I frown when Sophia blanches as I take my hand away. "Sophia wasn't it? How's your new name working out?"

Sophia's discomfort turns into a wide happy smile, "It's great. Not even my mum could remember my old name, and Dad couldn't beat it out of me either."

"That's good. Is there a reason you stopped me?"

Sophia nods, "You said that you could turn me into a woman."

I nod, "I could, but I can't just go giving it away. What are you offering in return?"

Sophia shakes her head, "I don't know. This is just so important to me that I'd give almost anything."

I smile and allow Sophia to see through my glamour, "Then what's said is said, and the cost will be your humanity."

Sophia's eyes widen as the changes start, and a storm grey ring of color appears inside her iris.

"Taylor! What did you do to hi her?"

Curiously, I turn my head around at Amy's voice, and watch as she starts hurrying over with her sister floating protectively behind her.

I balance on one foot while I'm waiting for her to come within shouting distance. Behind me Sophia is making small sounds of surprise and confusion.

Once she's close enough, I look pointedly at her left eye as I say, "I did a deal with her. Much like I did with you."

I then rub my eyes to massage them back into their normal shape. Once I can see again, Amy has grabbed Sophia's hand and has what I seem to remember humans call a glazed look on her face.

I shake my head in my hands and turn it to face Victoria, "Is she always like this?"

Victoria recoils, "Gah, put your head back on!"

I shrug and put my head back on my neck before looking up at her again, "As I said. Is she always like this?"

Victoria scowls at me, "I don't know who you bribed at the PRT, but they're refusing to have anything to do with you."

I look at Victoria in confusion, "That's not an answer to my question."

Victoria leans in and the humans around me move away from us, "I don't know what you've done to my sister, but I'm going to find out and then bring the full weight of the law down on your head."

It's a struggle not to allow my eyes to sparkle with malevolent glee as I say, "Well, the best place to get answers is from the Queen of the Marsh under Captain's Hill. It's where I got my own answers from after all."

Victoria rises up another couple of inches, and Amy snaps, "Vicky, Aura!"

As Victoria jerks backwards I turn to face Sophia, "Hey Sophia, how are you feeling?"

Sophia smiles broadly, "I feel great, thank you."

I smile even as my shoulders slump slightly, "Great, I obviously should have charged you more. I acknowledge your debt. To pay off your debt you must seek out the Queen of the Marsh under Captain's Hill. Until you have you are not allowed to make any promises or deals, and you have to give names back if they're given to you."

Sophia reels back as though struck. As she does Victoria grabs me and spins me around, "That's Assault with a parahuman ability, I'm taking you in."

I reach up and grab Victoria's wrist and start to squeeze it as hard as she's squeezing my shoulder, "Victoria, I'm only going to tell you this once. And that's only because I find your sister amusing. I am not a parahuman. Now do you really want to play this game, as the default rules are tit for tat."

Victoria lets go in surprise, "What?"

Amy sighs before she takes Sophia's hand again, "Vicki, we talked about this at home. She's not a parahuman, hell, she's not even human."

"Then what is she?"

I smile, as the borrowed grace she had has run out, "I can tell you if you do something for me."

Sophia shakes her head and says, "Don't."

Victoria ignores her and brings her nose down until it's almost touching mine. Her voice is almost a growl as she says, "Tell me."

I whisper, just loud enough for her to hear me, "I'm a Greater Fae, and you must obey the law of whatever country you're in."

I turn back to Sophia and Amy, "Sorry about that."

Sophia smiles and waves her hand, "It's o… F… was slightly annoying." She grasps her throat as she tries to say a couple of different words.

"What's happening to me?"

"You're turning into a woman and losing your humanity."

"Oh, I thought it would be quick, as my name was done instantly."

"I didn't think that Principal Howell would be too happy with me if you ended up in hospital for a couple of weeks, because you couldn't adjust to your new body fast enough."

"Oh, that was nice of you. Um, I'm not sure that mum and dad will be particularly understanding about this."

I shrug, "Mermaid House is always open to new residents. Just remember to respect the mound, and follow the rules."

Sophia nods and tries to take her hand back from Amy. "Uh, Miss Dallon? Amy? I want my hand back please?"

I chuckle as Sophia futilely tries to extricate herself from Amy's grip without hurting her. A flicker of movement in the corner of my eye catches my attention. So I turn around and see Victoria flailing at me impotently, her face red with anger. Shrugging I turn back to Amy and Sophia; and tap Amy on the hand.

Amy jumps in surprise and lets go of Sophia's hand, "What did you do that for?"

"Sophia was trying to get your attention, as I think she needs to go home."

Sophia quickly heads for the shelter by the bus stop that serves the better part of town, as Amy looks down with a slightly chagrined expression, "Sorry about that, it's just so fascinating."

I chuckle, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

I frown as Sophia comes out from the bus shelter dragging a large suitcase. Before I can say anything, Amy asks, "What did you do to Vicki?"

I glance back and shrug, "I made her a deal."

"So why is she glaring at you?"

"Probably because what she wants to say would be illegal under the Public Order Act 1986, sections 4, 4A, and 5." When Amy looks at me skeptically, I say, "What? I was bored after school one day, and decided to read the entirety of Maine and Federal Law."

"Really?"

I look at Amy quizzically, "Why do humans do that?"

Sophia says, "Because we, they? They use exaggeration and hyperbole so often that it's a surprise when someone doesn't." When Amy stares at her, she shrugs, "My next-door neighbor's kid was autistic, and I had to explain it to him a couple of times."

As Amy 'stealthily' puts her hand on the back of Sophia's hand, I roll my eyes, being careful not to let them fall out, and point at the suitcase. "Why do you have a suitcase?"

Sophia shrugs, "The day you found me crying, some of the guys found one of my work uniforms. I work part time at a, uh, sort of restaurant in China Town. The girls all know that I'm a Tranny, so I had a uniform I could wear when they didn't need a visibly male person on staff. Anyway, that evening one of them must have told a friend, who let my dad know, and he beat me so bad I couldn't make it to school next day. Anyway, I'm in Amy's year, and I turned 18 last week, so I finally asked dad at breakfast what he'd do if I got a sex change. Suffice to say, I'm glad I packed the suitcase before I asked. I was going to ask the girls if I could stay with them, even if it meant needing to be part of the after-dinner entertainment. But Mermaid house sounds much better."

I shrug and turn towards home, "Just be careful of the courtyard, as there's a gateway to faerie there, and you wouldn't even know how to avoid getting trapped into an unfavorable situation. I'm not even willing to venture in there without a definitive goal in mind."

I idly note that Amy is following us with her hand still touching the back of Sophia's hand.

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​

As my little procession reaches the door to my home, it swings open for me and I get a sense that the mound is amused at some more uninvited pests, guests.

"Are the residents safe?"

I get a pulse of acknowledgement from the mound, at the same time Victoria sulks, "What do you care?"

I turn around to face her, "I care because I am the Queen of Rot and Fungus, and they live in my domain. As the ruler of the domain that gives me responsibilities to ensure their safety and well-being. At the same time, there are things they agree to by living here. Same with guests. Rule 1, mortal residents are not to be played with. Rule 2, inform any residents before you make a deal with them. Rule 3, if they acknowledge a debt, then make the payment as gentle as possible. Rule 4, no guests on the fourth floor. Just be glad I don't have rules about guest conduct."

A glowing faerie flies out of the courtyard before circling around the group. I smile as it does, while Sophia looks at it with wide eyes.

When Victoria swipes at it with one hand, I shake my head, "I wouldn't do that Victoria. They're harmless, if mischievous, when left to their own devices. But that mischievousness can turn to maliciousness if you slight them."

Victoria scoffs, but lowers her hand, "What are they going to do, flutter at me?"

I look at her seriously, "I'm only telling you this because you're Amy's sister and you're a guest. You will eventually die if you can't appease the faerie you slighted. A million tiny glamours and moving objects around as you need them, until you can no longer trust your own senses. Then you'll assume that something is or isn't there when the reverse is true. If you get enough of them together, they can make you believe you're breathing air while you're drowning."

I turn back towards stairwell and archway to the courtyard, "While the Queen of the Marsh left the Emerald Isle to get away from the courts. She is still more closely aligned with the Fall court than any of the others, and so am I."

Evidently Sophia has taken her hand away from Amy, as Amy says, "What do they live on?"

I turn my head to look at her, with her hand outstretched, palm up towards the faerie, "A few drops of blood or a thimble full of honey or nectar. Depends on what sort of faerie you want them to be." I clap my hands and bounce on the balls of my feet, "Anyway, enough of the serious stuff. Sophia, why don't we find you an apartment while these two have a look around. Amy, if you go into the courtyard, don't step into the faerie ring, otherwise you'll be taken to faerie."

As I head towards the elevator, I hear Victoria say to Amy, "Does she have to do that thing with her neck? It's like she's never watched the Exorcist."

Amy looks up from where she's tipped out a tic tac, and is trying to bribe the faerie to land on her hand. "Huh?"

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​

Vicky repeats herself, so Amy tries to turn her attention away from the Faerie and distractedly says, "Don't dare show it to her if she hasn't. She's fine as she is."

Vicky crosses her arms, "You're only saying that because she hasn't mastered you."

Amy shakes her head, "I… I don't think her power works like that." She reaches up to touch her left eyelid, "She certainly didn't master me when she took one of my eyes."

"Are you really still upset about that? I've still got a week's lunch time detentions to attend."

Amy glares at Vicky, "Really? You think that being grilled by mom for hours, and then sitting in a PRT Master/Stranger cell for a day until Armsmaster came to release me is something I should just be over?"

Vicky holds her hands up defensively, "Hey, it's not my fault. The school would have told her anyway."

"And they'd have included pertinent details, like the fact I took her eye first, or that you almost crushed one of her eyes the first time we met her, or that you threatened Taylor in front of the entire lunch hall…" Amy trails off as she realizes something, "Vicky, why can't I feel your aura?"

Vicky mumbles something that sounds like, "I can't use it." Before she starts walking off to one of the corridors, "Hey, why don't we explore while we're here. And don't you normally go to the hospital on Wednesdays?"

Amy sighs as she wanders after Vicky, "I think that monitoring the changes in Sophia is more important." Silently she adds, 'and infinitely more interesting.'

She's only taken a couple of steps when movement catches her eyes near the entrance. Down by the skirting boards is a gangly figure with an angular face and wearing raggedy clothes that Amy can only half see. As soon as it realizes she's looking at it, the figure stops sidling along the wall towards the front door.

Curiously, she closes one eye and then the other. With her human eye, there's nothing there, and she feels the need to look elsewhere. But with the fae eye, she can clearly see the figure.

As she crouches down to get a better look, it bolts towards the archway by the stairs, and she fancies she can hear it shouting, "She can See! She has the sight!"

Shaking her head in amazement, she turns back to follow Vicky, only to look around in confusion as her sister has disappeared.

 

[Cyrus2]

Fae make such an interesting conundrum in Worm since they are outside context problems to that world.

 

[MaimakteriAnn]

Vicky ... seriously? Everyone in the group was warned about the faerie ring, even the faerie.

Come on Vicky. Think of at least one thing once.

 

[Profilozof]

Oh no Vicky can't break laws of USA

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Oh no Vicky can't break laws of USA

Click to shrink...

And Maine.

 

[Jordisk]

I like that one.
It reminds me of a story I read once, where there was a set of books that were written so as to teach anyone the basics of magic and how to make thier own cantrips. Thus anyone could learn anything, if they were willing to put the time and effort.
Only problem, the books were written very poorly. So that most people who found them and tried to use them, gave up in disgust due to the dry, dull, and dense text.
I don't recall the title. But it was a very interesting story.

Click to shrink...

Was it the one where a random mage decided to shove that book into Xander's head using hypnosis magic, along with opening his third eye chakra?

 

[HotaruSama]

Oh no Vicky can't break laws of USA

Click to shrink...

That could actually cause some issues, since there's a number of old laws on the books that are no longer enforced but were never truly repealed.

 

[Aillianna]

You do the fae justice.

Was it the one where a random mage decided to shove that book into Xander's head using hypnosis magic, along with opening his third eye chakra?

Click to shrink...

The Knights of Scooby by Perfect Lionheart I believe.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

You do the fae justice.

Click to shrink...

Thank you Has the progression of events seemed reasonable?

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

As the warning blares out of my phone I immediately head for the wardrobe and take out a seal skin on a hanger. Susan knows it's there, but on nights of the wild hunt she tends to forget.
After I hang it on the back of the front door, and coincidentally cover the peep hole, I grab what used to be my meteorite keyring from a drawer of the hallway bookcase. Since Susan moved in with me, we had it fitted with a long chain of cold forged iron while that was still legal. It won't help if she's a target, and they find us early in the Long Night.
A few minutes later I feel the wave of wild magic pass over our house. A sensation I'm one of very few humans that are able to recognise due to the years I've lived with Susan.
A few seconds later Susan runs out of the bedroom with animalistic panic all over her face. She charges at me with her fingers extended like talons, and I adroitly dodge past the front door, and the seal skin. As I do, her attention is diverted to the skin hanging over the door, and she involuntarily reaches out to touch it.
I can see the moment that she registers that it's her skin, as the panic visibly drains away from her face and she starts shaking. Despite my desperate desire to move forward to comfort her, I know from long experience that in her current state she'll interpret it as an attempt to capture her.
After a few tense seconds she shivers and steps forward into my space. As she draws me into a rib creaking hug, she says, "Angelia, what do we do? What if they're coming for me this time?"
I kiss her forehead, "I won't let them get you, same as I didn't let them get you when we met."
"But, but what about you?"
I smile as I give voice to something I realised a few years ago, "Susan, my life wouldn't be worth living without you in it. I didn't know I needed you in my life 10 years ago, you were just another woman being assaulted by thugs."
"What happens if the government discovers me?"
"Then we run, and I'll try to make it to Faerie with you. If we can't we'll get you to the coast and I'll surrender. Once I get out of prison, I'll try to find you in the next hunt. You know this already."
We both fall silent as the gravel outside the door crunches. A precaution that all homes now have, even if they're in high rises like ours. Along with all of the corridors being open to the air, so that a gullible fool can't doom the entire block. It only took a dozen such incursions for the government to get a clue about that.
There's a loud rhythmic thumping from the door before a male voice calls out, "Open up, this is the police!"
We both look at each other and I grip the chain tightly in one hand. As panic starts to fill Susan's eyes again, I lift my other hand so that my wrist is clearly visible in front of her face, and the crisscross pattern of our hand fasting bond is visible.
As she lifts her own matching bands, I whisper, "Remember, if they were from our government, they'd have used the doorbell, or the buzzer downstairs."
As the thump on the door comes again louder, I head to the bedroom window and double check the ground outside, along with our rappelling gear and bugout bags. Just in case we have to run.
I'm lucky in a way, as at least we have a place to run to, even if it would be a one way trip tonight.
A scream from further up the block of flats tells me that the hunt has found a weakness to exploit, and got into a flat. A whoop of joy sounds from outside the bedroom, and Susan silently walks into the bedroom and pulls me into a hug.
"Can we go and visit my clan on the next new moon?"
I close the window before returning the hug myself as I start to shiver as the adrenaline leaves my body, "Of course we can. I'm not ready to stay past dawn though."
Susan giggles, "Neither am I, they don't have TV."

 

[Cyrus2]

Well this raises all sorts of questions, did the Fae take over the country? Is that why the Wild Hunt is a regular occurrence?

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Well this raises all sorts of questions, did the Fae take over the country? Is that why the Wild Hunt is a regular occurrence?

Click to shrink...

The way I was sort of envisioning it in my mind is that something changed slightly more than a decade ago. Maybe some archaeologists found a seal, and took it to a museum, or someone repaired a gate, or something like that. That's when Faerie started returning to the world.
Angelia found Susan being attacked by fae from the wild hunt and only avoided being a victim herself because she had a meteorite on a keyring from a holiday in the USA. So she took Susan home with her for safety, not knowing what she was.
Fast forward a few years, and the courts start to sink their claws into politicians. They can't make overtly harmful changes because of the democratic process. But they could make seemingly innocuous changes, like outlawing cold forging iron, with only a paper thin excuse.
But that didn't matter to the politicians, as the fae could provide gifts beyond mortal science, like extended youth, health, and vigour. Even immortality, if they were willing to leave the mortal world behind, and join the courts.
Though, as with all such deals with the fae, the problem isn't in what is said, it's what is not said. And those who were foolish enough to accept an invitation to the courts in faerie quickly found that they were only beautiful on the outside.
Meanwhile, Angelia and Susan muddle through introducing Susan to the modern world, and her fears and insecurities. They even visit faerie on nights of the new moon, when they hunt can't see them, to visit her clan. Eventually falling in love and being hand-fasted three times.
Eventually, they start to hear stories of people from Faerie, that fled to the mortal world, being arrested by mortal authorities and dragged back to Faerie clapped in iron, and being made an example of by the courts.
Susan has been there long enough to have a mortal identity, but they both worry that one day she'll be discovered.

When the wild hunt is looking for prey in the mortal world, their scouts feed on the fears of the people inside their homes, and use that to try to persuade those people to let them in. Which is why the one at their front door pretended to be the police. That's why the alert says what it did.
What the story didn't show is that Angelia superglued one of the links from her chain onto the doorbell. Which wouldn't inconvenience normal police, but is a big problem for the wild hunt. They also deliberately bought into their fears of being caught by the government so that they could predict how the hunt would approach their door.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

This has it's own story thread now. Queen of Rot and Fungus