Private Tales A Love Potion for “a Friend”

[Zaire]

“Keep raising your sword up and you’ll keep getting kicked,” Luella growled up to her opponent, Urube, a tall and fit duanann who lately seemed always trying to spar with her for the last four months. She didn’t mind of course, more practice for when it came to her going against bigger opponents who should be at the same skill level as her. And originally, their spars had been challenging and worthwhile in the experience she was gaining. The last month or so, they had been lacking. She could feel it, he was no longer using his full strength, had stopped grappling with her or throwing dust in her eyes. Any dirty tricks that sword fighters employed during fights to gain the upper hand, he had stopped. Even if she got more aggressive, he seemed to refuse to fully fight her.

“I think we’ve had enough for today, the sun is starting to set.” Urube pointed out, still wincing at the fact that Luella had used an explosive kick a little too close to his groin. Luella couldn’t help but roll her lavender eyes, sheathing her sword. They had both employed magick that wouldn’t allow them to cut one another, making their swords similar to wooden ones without reducing the feel and weight of them. “You really kicked my ass today,” he said quickly when Luella had turned her back to him, about ready to walk away. “I owe you dinner.”

“I can cook on my own,” Luella scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest, rather offended. Just because now she dedicated all of her time towards getting stronger didn’t mean she had forgotten how to prepare meals. Even if the majority of her meals tended to be rather simple, she enjoyed them plenty. She hated the idea that if she wasn’t wearing a dress 24/7 people assumed she couldn’t perform simple, domestic tasks.

“No, I meant, let me take you to dinner.”

“Why?”

“Well, you’re not… seeing anyone, right?” Urube stammered, scratching the back of his neck and looking away. Luella didn’t answer and instead raised a pale brow. Tired of the awkward silence, Urube spoke again, his voice and expression rather sheepish. “I’m asking you out. On a date.” Luella couldn’t handle the shock on her face, completely dumbfounded.

“You’re joking.”

***​

Luella huffed, walking through a thick wood in the mortal realm. Days had passed since Urube has declared that he wanted romantic ties with Luella. Every time she saw him, he brought it up, nearly begging just for a night together. He had even sent her letters to better “clarify” his feelings and apologizing for his “annoying persistence.” Luella would rather label everything as obnoxious and melodramatic, but in trying to avoid him, she had also been avoiding a valuable sparring partner. She had spent the last two nights debating if she could trick him into a contract were she would go out to dinner with him once but then he’d forever have to spar with her whenever she wanted, whether she returned his feelings or not. Which she wouldn’t… Urube had shown a desperation that Luella wished she had never even glimpsed.

Now, losing her only friend, she had complained about the ordeal at a card game with other fae, finally dipping into her private life that didn’t relate to the cost of swords or training materials. One had suggested, maybe as a joke, in redirecting his love to someone else. Fae were fickle things after all, and feelings often waned over time. This however did spark a plan of attack for the blonde duanann who couldn’t manage anything more than quick flings. And so, she had decided that maybe a “love potion” would actually aid her in a sense.

Only one problem. Luella didn’t have the best savings compared to other duanann. Despite the prestigious family name, her family’s wealth had been lost centuries ago. And while many would vouch for her exceptional skills as a fierce warrior, she was often spending her coin on equipment, living expenses, food (and lots of it as she had such a voracious appetite) and custom-made weaponry. Claymores were especially expensive, and using high quality materials with high-quality magick that all had to be custom made for a woman of her height and stature to then also wield with one hand without losing weight and length… well, needless to say, Luella was still paying off that loan. And she had quite a ways to go with it. Unless she wanted to use her first born child as collateral. Which she didn’t.

Luckily for her, after some searching and asking around, a lowly fae did mention that there was a witch in the Falwood that would be more in Luella’s price range. Not a very established witch, but one who actually did possess some magick and enough know-how to maybe create something decent enough to get Urube off of her back.

Hence, she was here, trying to figure out exactly where this witch lived. The sun had set, so Luella was traveling in the dark, without a glamour. In these areas, the fae weren’t hidden things and Luella couldn’t bother with a glamour. If anything, she was hoping with her ethereal looks the witch might be willing to bargain with her in case Luella’s funds couldn’t quite match up to her price. Luckily, after quite a lot of meandering about, Luella began to see signs that this part of the forest was indeed lived in.

It started with twigs being tied together and hanging from branches, and she even caught sight of a straw doll that was nailed to the trunk of a tree. Owls were hooting, and without her dark vision, Luella would have definitely got caught on the large spider webs that seemed to begin covering… well, everything. Luella wondered if maybe she was going into a spider’s den instead of a Witch’s home. Minutes later her lavender gaze caught sight of light, and began to head into that direction.

A small cottage was forming as she stepped closer, smoke lazily rising from the cobblestone chimney. Well, this had to be it, right? After all, she couldn’t imagine a regular mortal living in the middle of the woods surrounded by spider webs and making strange symbols out of sticks to hang from trees. Or actually, she could. Humans could be so strange in the fall season.

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle began her day much like she had any other. However, she had no ongoing orders to work on, nor had she had any company of any kind in the last week--no villagers to harass, no hoaxes to start. She was bored, but also, maybe just a touch lonely. Loneliness meant something different to Elle, though, such was the precariousness of her position as the "Witch of the Wood."

She wouldn't sit idly. She gathered a basket and decided she would collect some berries to make dyes. After all, it was always good to stock up on supplies. Maybe she would try to paint new tattoos and then tomorrow go and spook some people. Yeah, that sounded good.

The aforementioned loneliness, of course, was due to her particular circumstance of being the next Witch in the Lunar Cycle. Her mother, her mother's mother, and so on had all been part of that dark destiny, eventually resulting in their demise, followed by a cataclysmic weather event that would often rock the entire continent. Elle remembered the day her mother was taken still, and the ensuing torrential rain and storms that nearly flooded out the continent. Her mother had been taken when she was almost too young to take care of yourself, and her father was out there, somewhere she would never find him, because that's what you were supposed to do when you're a witch, have fatherless daughters who get swallowed up by the blasted moon.

She didn't actually mind being alone in the physical sense. She wasn't used to affection from her mother, nor had she gotten into the habit of sleeping with common men--she found them much too disgusting and uninteresting--but this particular loneliness always stung. She couldn't form attachments the way others could, as it would only be too painful a reminder of her eventual fate.

So she gathered the berries, taking most of the day to do so, then headed back home in the evening, where she began to make dyes from the berries. She got about halfway through painting a new mark on her skin, specifically her left arm, then gave up halfway through painting.

What's the point?

She put the dyes down. They'd still be there tomorrow, right? She stoked the fire in the fireplace and sat across from it, absently staring into the flames as she started thinking about what would happen if she tried to defy it. She'd almost been killed before, but every time it happened her patron stepped in. Elle was certain if she tried to plunge a knife into her own heart, a swift wind would fling away the knife before she could finish herself off.

Why did the cycle exist this way? She was just a human, wasn't she? What being needed what paltry energy one woman could give, and only once every 40 years or so?

Crunch. The sound of a fallen leaf being stepped on.

Her eyes flicked to the door. Who was here at this hour? Probably some commoner. She prepared herself for the potential worst, hiding a knife in her dress and peering out a small peephole in her wall. Elle was quite perplexed; this person seemed to be dressed well enough, and my--she was gorgeous too, wasn't she?

A small fire lit in Elle. She always got most excited when she was trying new things. Maybe this would be different. She grabbed her witch's hat (part of her notorious disguise used to scare the locals), quickly brushed off her dress, then sat at the other end of the room where she would appear most ominous.

Maybe I get a little too into this, she thought. She was ready.

 

[Zaire]

There was magick here, that much could be felt as Luella came into closer to the the cottage. The cauldron out front caused her to pause, and slightly peer over it, wondering if some type of brew was inside. But no, it was empty. Maybe for the best, if the pot was outside during all hours of the day, it couldn’t have been the cleanest thing to prepare things in. Quite tall, she stepped up to the door and bent down, rapping at the door softly. Knocking was the correct thing to do, right? Or was she supposed to say some magic password that would grant her access inside? Not hearing anything, Luella opened the door. There was light coming from inside, so surely she had to be home? Or was the witch out and about?

“Excuse me?” Luella had switched to the mortal tongue, figuring the chances of speaking to a witch in Iza probably wasn’t the brightest idea. She had cracked the door open just enough to peep her head inside, so far seeing nothing out of the ordinary really until her gimlet eyes caught sight of a lean figure sitting down. Was she wearing… one of those conical hats with a wide brim? Luella stepped inside, for the first time wishing she was shorter than 6’3 instead of taller.

“I was told that a… witch resided here. It must be you.” She didn’t mean to sound blunt, or even unimpressed. She continued to look around, taking inventory of the place and even the smell of it. Peculiar yet familiar all at the same time. But what made her hesitant from stepping even further was the fact that the woman in front of her seemed poised for something. Luella wasn’t the best at reading a room, but she could feel this tension in the air, curious if it was positive or negative.

After all, she had strode in, platinum hair, lavender eyes, pointed ears, and grandiose height towing a massive claymore strapped to her back. Even if her clothes were more simple, burgundy mock turtle neck tunic and beige breeches, they were fae made and the stitching was pristine even if this attire was considered more “modest.” Luella wouldn’t have been surprised if maybe the witch was in some sort of awe? Or, if it wasn’t awe, then perhaps it was irritation that some being had just strode into her home rather unannounced.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle hadn't taken into consideration just how tall this new stranger was, and almost fell back in her chair upon her entry; nonetheless, she regained her balance and let there be an uncomfortable silence in the room for a moment. Best to keep this woman off her guard, Elle thought, even though she did look different and maybe, just maybe what Elle was about to do was uncalled for.

“I was told that a… witch resided here. It must be you.”

"Yeeeeeeeeessssss..." Elle's voice creaked in the stereotypical witch fashion. "A wiiitch does live here!"

Elle stood up, keeping her held tilted down so only the hat was visible, and used the slightest wave of her hand to make a very small dye powder "explosion" in the center of the room.

"I am the great witch, Selena! Tell meee, pretty one, why have you come knocking at such a late hour, hmmmm?"

She raised her hands in the air.

"Tell me, are you used to the arcane arts? Are you afraid of a few hexes? I can offer my services, but it may come at a price--"

Then, the most peculiar thing happened--Elle accidentally tilted her head too far forward, and the hat fell clear to the ground, into the purple dust in the center of her room. For a moment, she thought maybe she could keep up the ruse, but it was very clear it was over once her young face had been revealed.

"Dammit," she said. She flipped her hair back, sighing. "Who are you, and what do you want?" She spoke in a plain voice now, the charade having been compromised by her own incompetent hat-wearing.

She tapped her foot.

"Seriously, it's late and I don't usually take requests once the sun's gone down."

 

[Zaire]

Whatever sort of witch that Luella had been expecting, it was most definitely not a theatrical one. Perhaps it was the fact that she was fae, or maybe that in her 3,000 plus years of living she had come across the most unusual sorts of things, but something about the stereotypical witch voice caused Luella to raise a pale brow in pure “what the hell” fashion. She opened her mouth to speak, but the witch before continued, talking about her being pretty and throwing some purple dust to the ground in an attempt of “magick.”

Yet the moment the hat fell from her head and the woman before her paused, Luella’s confusion lessened. Oh, so just a joke? She didn’t smile, that only appeared during battle. She dipped her head to the witch regardless once she asked Luella what she wanted.

“I am Lady Luella from the House of Balsinde,” she said in her clear, soft voice as her lavender eyes made contact with hers. “I seek your expertise in creating a potions. A puca told me that you are able to make love potions. I would like to purchase one.” Luella finished, lifting up her tunic enough to grab a leather pouch that held items such as mortal currency and others small various items of trade. Anything but silver and iron of course.

Luella noticed that Elle had yet to pick up her hat and moved forward. She bent her knees to lower herself down and rose up with ease, holding the witch’s hat out towards her. She should’ve smiled at that point, but her full lips failed to curve upwards despite her genuine act of politeness.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Almost entirely deflated at this point, Elle accepted her hat back from this Lady Luella, placing it on the chair behind her.

So.. she was a noble, then? Elle wasn't used to having such exalted company--most of her clients were commoners with runny noses, and her only payment was in leaving her alone. She didn't need gold where she knew she was going to end up, and besides, Elle knew gold was only so useful anyway.

Luella's unflinching demeanor took Elle by surprise; after all, her sarcasm usually garnered some kind of response. But the most perplexing bit was the request itself: was the love potion for her? What the hell was a puca?

"A love potion? Something to cure your flavorless affect? You really are a strange one."

It was a cheap jab, but Elle was frustrated at this point. She was in a mood.

"Well, I can certainly help with that. But you're going to need to tell me why, and you're going to have to help me find the ingredients. I don't charge gold, but love potion ingredients aren't the easiest to get. We're going to need some blue mushroom cap, a carrot, and the eye of a giant spider."

Elle was in a curious situation, but she thought on her toes and came up with a clever way to do this. It was true she needed the eye of a giant spider, but normally she could find the residue she needed from a giant spider molding. But this person was clearly geared up in armor and with--oooo, very big--weapons, so Elle could use her to just get the ingredients faster. She wanted this person out of her hair as quickly as possible; humorless people were the worst sort, in her mind.

"It's night time and the blue caps rise to the moon," Elle said. "So if you want your love potion, we'd best be off. Oh, and I hope your sword skills are good because that giant spider eye needs to be fresh." She suppressed a sadistic grin. It was a baser impulse, to be sure, but what did it matter? She was going to die someday soon anyway. Probably.

 

[Zaire]

Luella scoffed at the remark, and crossed her arms almost immediately. She was more so insulted by the notion that the witch clearly thought it was for her to use to gain the attention of someone. She would never need to stoop so low. Or at least, she hoped that she would never ever need to stoop that low. She couldn’t imagine being like Urube, so utterly desperate and whiny.

“I’m the strange one?” She repeated back with a raised brow, and with a muted breath and upward flick of her finger, a small gust of air picked up the purple powder on the floor into the air once more. She would say more but in all honesty, she couldn’t afford to upset the witch too much. She could already tell she was in a mood. She fastened the pouch back around her hips, once more hiding it underneath her tunic.

“I don’t mind finding the ingredients, as long as it means I can get this potion as fast as possible. I need it… for a friend.” Luella said stiffly, and then narrowed her eyes, glaring hard enough at the floor as if that was what was causing this affliction. But the way she had just phrased things, well, now it sounded like by “friend” she meant her. “It’s not for me because I want someone to love me.” She added, in hopes it would settle once and for all that Luella Balsinde liked no one.

“Nothing special about the carrot?” Luella asked, gesturing for the witch to leave her house first… especially considering she would need to duck under the doorway again. Blue mushroom cap and eye of a giant spider all sounded exotic… carrot, not so much. “We don’t need to sacrifice lettuce to a rabbit god or climb a beanstalk to the clouds to pick a magical carrot from the sky?” She didn’t comment on her sword skills, after all, she had fought 30 foot fleshy mountain monsters, thousands of demons, and slayed plenty of fae. What trouble could one large spider be? Luella was more afraid of clowns anyways.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

It was clear to Elle that at least her prodding was getting to Luella, at least a little bit. That was good to her--it meant she wasn't just an automaton or something bizarre like that. She'd thought up all sorts of oddities while alone in the forest.

The request grew all the more interesting as Luella explained, or at least attempted to explain her situation to Elle. She couldn't help but giggle at the last little detail. What Elle wasn't expecting, of course, was being sassed in return--this person was one of those stone cold types, right? It hit Elle like a surprise left hook, and she was left reeling somewhat with the comment about the carrot.

"You're half right about the carrot; fortunately for you, I've got a friendly giant who was more than happy to provide since, you know, you're the one asking. And he gave it to me already to use in a stew, but alas, my famous giant carrot stew will have to wait so we can make your love potion."

"I can't say I've ever gotten a request for a love potion that wasn't for one of the directly involved parties. Very well, I'll lead you to the ingredients. Should you manage to gather them without dying, you'll get your potion. The one that definitely isn't for you, like you said."

Elle was at least a lot less annoyed and moody than before Luella had arrived, but this was still a bizarre situation. That said, any excuse to head out into the night was usually a good one--the power of her Patron flowed more freely through her at night, which gave her a lot of energy she often didn't have during the day, not because the day was toxic to her necessarily, but rather because Elle was feeling rather depressed of late, and that tended to leave her in a fairly low place much of the time.

She headed out the door, expecting Luella to follow.

"Come now, nights only last half as long as days, which isn't nearly enough time for us to both chatter and get your ingredients."

 

[Zaire]

Luella followed Elle out of her little cottage, once again bending her head low as she went out. Now back outside she stood at her full height, her back rim rod straight as she gave a small sigh in relief. So much more comfortable now. Luella was quiet for a moment, quite often she didn’t really say much unless spoken to, and only interjected in conversations to offer a quip that was always meant to be playful but often was said too aggressively to be playful. Elle on the other hand didn’t seem to mind talking quite a bit, or so Luella was noting.

“I’m sure many people don’t try to sway another’s affections, but right now,” Luella paused to sigh, her face turning sour as she thought of Urube once more. Her brows were heavy over her eyes, forcing them to narrow and just look mean. She often looked mean. But everything often irritated her, especially things that didn’t need to happen. “He has become delusional about what he wants our… dynamic to be.” She finished, her voice obviously strained from trying to figure out how to phrase that someone she didn’t like had an obnoxious crush on her. “Slept with him once and now he thinks it means ‘something more.’”

“How big is the spider?” Luella asked suddenly, realizing that Elle seemed to think that was going to be the hardest part. Obviously, it would be since it was a living thing that needed killing. However, Luella personally felt like well… she had a big sword, and she was taller than Elle by quite a few inches. And while her tunic was loose, her breeches weren’t and compared to many fae that were shaped lithe and softly, Luella was definitely very fit— maybe even the fittest out of all the fae females. Her thighs were huge! She could probably crush the spider’s head in between them if she wanted to… well depending on how large the spider was.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle was almost disappointed at the news that Luella seemingly had an issue that she'd resolved a few times before--there's a guy, he won't stop bothering me, etc. etc. Elle was, of course, more cooperative after hearing it though, as it was a sentiment she deeply sympathized with. The expectation of her position was that she would bear a daughter at some point, a prospect which sometimes made Elle ill to the point where she'd refuse to eat, sometimes for a whole day, just thinking about it.

"Men really can be disgusting creatures," she said. "I don't envy you. It's a good thing you came to me; this should settle things, once we get the ingredients."

Elle was surprised at herself. Was she being cooperative?

"I've never had the misfortune of sleeping with a man, especially not those commoner simpletons--the mere thought makes me want to retch. Still, if you're dealing with a man, a giant spider isn't going to be much of a threat to you." She paused. "They're about the size of a dog, usually. But their webs may cause you problems if you aren't careful. Like I said before, I usually wait for a molt."

Elle looked over at Luella for a moment, sizing her up. She did seem capable, and with her swords she certainly looked intimidating, but who was to say? Maybe she was one of those prettied-up nobles who carried around a sword for show and wasn't any good with it. Elle wasn't sadistic, and given her new client's circumstance, the thought of her being eaten alive by spiders was less palatable than before. Not that she was sadistic, but she also wasn't one to stand in the way of... natural encounters with the types of people she despised.

"I must say," Elle added. "You are unreasonably tall for a woman. Are you a woman at all?"

 

[Zaire]

In Luella’s past, she had rather enjoyed her interactions with men. The flirting, the game of cat and mouse and who would bite first. It wasn’t until she had entered the night court when she first left the winter court, the moment she stepped on Night Court’s borders was the moment she faced even greater humiliations. Lesser fae telling her to do things, men constantly pawing at her, and after a week of her interactions with that society, the fateful fight when Luella was once again too weak and they had cut her long locks in a shaggy pixie cut. That was the first time she had actually killed anything living. She enjoyed the sight of their blood staining the platinum strands— a mark of her being a changed woman from then on. She’d never let something unforgivable ever happen again.

“It wasn’t unfortunate at the time,” Luella said slowly, not quite wanting to insult Urube for their single night. She left directly after that encounter, semi-satisfied, and hoping that it could happen again if she was ever drunk enough. “Do you not like men at all?” Luella glanced over at the dark haired woman, wondering if her words meant something greater. Or if maybe the men who had tried to court the witch had became desperate and perhaps turned her away from the thought of a romance.

“Ah, I see,” Luella looked down, the size of a dog? Perhaps smaller than a cwn annwn, then? Fae dogs always seemed bigger than mortal dogs, and Luella was more lost on how Elle didn’t immediately respect her as a warrior. Luella pouted briefly over that fact, wondering if perhaps she could give her a brief show of her swordplay. That would convince her then, would it not?

“Woman?” The comment went over Luella’s head for a moment as she looked down at her chest. Well, she wasn’t as busty as she once was, considering her muscle mass increased and she wasn’t at the same fat percentage as other fae. But she had always felt that her chest remained at a good size. “Oh, you’re asking me if I’m mortal?” She said aloud suddenly and smirked over at Elle bending low so their eyes were level.

“Tell me, Witch,” luella said, rather playfully despite the look on her face having a hint of a devilish glimmer. “Have you come across mortals with eyes like mine? Or ears?” She deftly lifted up her platinum locks, showing the pointed ear. “I thought your kind was aware of the fae and the trouble caused… although, you may not have come into contact with a duanann. I’m actually quite short for my kind,” she informed Elle, but the pride in Luella’s voice was still present. And if talking about her greatness still wasn’t enough, Luella decided to add even more to the mix to just further prove she was greater than great. “You should consider this a special encounter, after all, not many can even say they come from the bloodline of Balsinde, one of the original 50 houses of duanann.” There. She was a big deal. And if Luella was theatrical at at all she might have added a hair flip, but alas, she wasn’t.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Do you not like men at all?

She had to open that can of worms. Elle couldn't very well explain to a complete stranger the nature of her predicament. In fact, her mother had always taught her that the cycle of sacrifice must never be revealed to anyone, for any reason, lest they suffer a fate worse than death. So Elle was left scrambling at this remark, trying to figure out how to strategically respond...

"I uh... It's not that... I mean I..."

She was faceplanting, figuratively speaking.

"I... I could have a man, if I wanted to," she boasted. "Why, I even want to have a daughter someday. I just need to find one who isn't a dithering fool."

That was a satisfactory answer, right? Despite the awful blushing which had swallowed her face at this point? She was only 22, and knew little of such things truthfully. She figured it couldn't be that complicated, but otherwise she knew only what she knew from bits of innuendo she had picked up here and there.

Elle had realized her other mistake, of course. Luella was neither Elf nor Woman, but rather a Fae; it was a name she'd heard but had never been elaborated to her. Her mother had been taken from her too young, and the only thing Elle was ever told is that Fae were dangerous, and to be avoided. But this one didn't seem so bad.

Then again, Luella's boasting about her noble lineage was enough to evoke a visible eyeroll from Elle, shattering her momentary embarrassment.

"I care little for titles, and the name of your species is of little concern to me as well. I only know that Fae are supposed to be avoided. Dangerous, magical beings and all that."

Elle paused, thinking about how she had approached the topic.

"I'll still help you, of course. Even if you do ask irritating questions."

 

[Zaire]

Luella heard the way Elle seemed to stumble over her words, and wondered if perhaps that question was one to not be asked. Being fae, it was always encouraged to sleep around, men or women, it was really no one’s concern. Although it was always expected that many married to ensure a child, especially with duanann having such low birth rates. But Luella shrugged this off, if it was an uncomfortable subject she wouldn’t pry. She nodded her head however at the mention of having a daughter.

“I’d like a daughter as well… maybe in a few thousand years though.” She had a personal mission to accomplish first and couldn’t risk bringing a child in before that. “Although I understand your frustration in finding a suitable partner.” She added, which was most definitely true. Luella huffed, cared little for titles? Well maybe one should care little for mortal titles, after all, they were replaced so easily since they all dropped like flies. But a duanann! They were nearly like gods to humans! Why was she not impressed?

“Not all fae are dangerous,” Luella said with a slight hint of irritation. “The past millennia there has been a huge change in keeping humans as slaves and forcing them in bad deals. No more first born children for us.” She added, and then looked up at the sky. “You should try to avoid them though, I suppose, not all the courts are like Autumn.” And even if luella was in autumn, during times of need she had made contracts with others to aid her, why it wasn’t that long ago that she had made a contract with a Templar to tell her whatever she wanted to know for whenever. Fae contracts were always so tricky.

“You should really ask me for some sort of pavement. Why the duanann offer in return many fae cannot matched.” It was a half-hearted suggestion, really luella didn’t want to offer any sort of magick for just one measly love potion that she was helping to collect the ingredients for. After all, she was going to be the one to kill the large spider. But at least that was something she could afford to do.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

A few... thousand... years? Elle would be lucky to see 40. How long could she really resist the embrace of a man? Or her own ultimate fate?

"I just... the thing with having a daughter..."

No, she couldn't tell her. Not right now. Even if she did feel like she had a lot in common with Luella, or at least got along with her.

"I'm just not ready yet! I need to live my life a little... see some sights... uh... Yeah..."

Elle felt like she was drowning a little. Then again, she usually didn't have a conversational equal. She listened closely as Luella explained some of the intricacies of Fae society. It seemed like a world away, something altogether mysterious and strange. The bit about firstborns seemed like something a witch like Elle might do, yet this sort of thing was apparently common for Fae.

It may have been the sweetest thing Elle ever said, next.

"Your company has been quite entertaining; truly, I require no payment."

Baby steps, right? This night was going to be eventful, Elle could just tell. Well, that and she was starting to feel strange in the moonlight, as she often did, almost tingling as her powers charged to a level she wasn't really used to. She tried to avoid the moon, usually, and act like a normal human out of some vain hope that it might delay or reverse her fate. She knew it wasn't that simple, though.

They walked into a clearing, where small bits of blue cap mushrooms could be seen in the beams of moonlight kissing the earth. Elle pointed to them.

"You'll want one of those, but maybe don't use your bare hands. You can toss it in my basket."

 

[Zaire]

“Of course,” Luella responded, nodding her head in agreement that Elle most definitely had sights to see and things to do. “If I were you, I’d sleep around a bit, latching onto one person means you’ve closed doors on others who may suit your needs better.” Fae logic. Rather harsh and cardinal all at the same time. “Plus, men tend to be rather clumsy things. Especially mortal men.” Luella had never given any sort of affection to a mortal man, heck, most fae men in the last few centuries she tended to brush off even. Many assumed her to be frigid.

“Why shouldn’t I touch them?” Luella asked as they entered the clearing, seeing the pretty blue caps dotting around the grass. “Should i use my sword to cut them?” She asked as well, moving over towards them and kneeling down near them. They most definitely did not appear dangerous. But maybe they were poisonous until parboiled?

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

If I were you, I’d sleep around a bit, latching onto one person means you’ve closed doors on others who may suit your needs better.

Elle got a good laugh out of this.

"Wait, wait," she said, still laughing. "So the solution to being disgusted by men, is to simply have sex with them? Are you sure? I think that might make one complacent before it eases the burden. I think your standards are simply too low, and I must be in the right."

She felt confident saying it, at first, then remembering the many long, lonely nights she'd endured by this point in her life. It wasn't even a man necessarily that she wanted, but simply someone to help ease the dire isolation she was in. She wanted to reach out and really connect with someone. But what was the point? The cycle of her own distress always rested there.

"I don't know if Fae are any different but yes, Blue Cap residue has a nasty habit of making one ill for several days, and can make you see things that aren't really there--just like your friend's chances of getting to your bedside again. I certainly wouldn't touch it, but if you want a case of bad digestion and hallucinations for a week, please, be my guest. The sword is, fine, I guess, but maybe a touch excessive?"

What was her deal with swords? Did she just really like them?

 

[Zaire]

Luella tilted her head curiously at Elle laughing, wondering if maybe she had phrased things wrong. She might have, but she was rather curious with the words Elle had used. Words like disgusting, burden, and suggesting that Luella was wrong made Luella think that her first impression was correct. Or she could be misinterpreting things. Or even, maybe that…

“You’re a virgin.” Luella stated bluntly, but her words weren’t unkind. It was just a statement, a fact. “Or, you prefer a woman’s embrace. Perhaps humans find those things unusual, but in my realm, they’re perfectly normal. Well, maybe not the former all the time.” She added, in case her previous words were too embarrassing. Regardless, she nodded her head at Elle’s warnings.

“I don’t have gloves, and I’d rather not be constipated. I eat too much.” Another statement, and one that was very true. She had gone through small periods of indigestion, and the bloat made her hate training all that much more. So the sword could have been excessive, but, Luella would rather keep it safe. She had a lovely medley of vegetables and chicken waiting for her back home. Her stomach growled at the thought of it.

She completed a neat quick draw with her sword, quickly sheathing it once more. The caps looked as if they hadn’t be cut at all under Luella mumbled under her breath and a strong gale lifted up five of the blue caps, slowly carrying them over to plop right into Elle’s basket. Luella seemed quite satisfied with her work with the mushrooms. Quite easy.

“So, giant spider is next?”

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

You’re a virgin.

"There's only one reason for me to be fooling around, and it's to have a daughter," Elle said, so flustered that she had just potentially given something crucial away. "I don't want a man, I certainly don't need one. My mother didn't, and neither do I. It'll happen when it happens. There's nothing more to say about it."

Elle huffed dramatically, watching as Luella cut the blue cap. It really wasn't that hard being a witch--you just needed to know a little herbology for the most part. Just another reason for Elle to have imposter syndrome, she supposed.

"If you eat too much, you should mix a cooked green cap in with your meal, it'll make you feel better."

There, free advice. Saved it.

"...and yes, the spider is next. Follow me..."

Elle led Luella down a dark path, even for one in the forest at night. The trail winded through many crooked, some broken trees that littered the path. The sound of the dark forest was all around them, owls and other creatures making their haunting rhythmic sounds.

"...You're going to need that sword..." Elle said, ominously as they walked into small clearing. She channeled the power of the moon through her, her skin glowing a soft blue, then conjured a small magical light in her outstretched hand, which she continued to hold out to provide sufficient lighting for the upcoming fight. In the distance, the glint of tens, perhaps hundreds of yellow eyes could be seen on a cliff face not too far from them.

"It's never just one spider," Elle said. She was feeling intimidated, for once. "Tread carefully--I've enjoyed your company, and I'd hate for things to end for you this way."

 

[Zaire]

Luella was going to say something about not needing to do the deed for a child, but to focus on it being fun. She found it rather peculiar that anyone could just see it as purely for offspring. But perhaps the ways of witches were different, after all, many people found the fae to be rather opulent in their hedonism. So she did drop the subject and followed Elle to wherever else she would lead her.

Luella’s lavender eyes raised in surprise as the witch’s skin began to glow, and the light that appeared in her palm. So, she could perform some actual magic after all, and that which related to light. There was a moment of respect from Luella, although she kept quiet about it. And then they came in sight of that cliff, and Luella could understand all of Elle’s previous comments before. The yellow eyes that seemed to cover the entire cliff as if it was a horde of fireflies did make Luella turn serious. She remembered the slew of discarded webs as she had trekked to Elle’s cottage and wondered if these spiders were the ones to create such a sticky mess.

“You should stay back here,” Luella said, not needing Elle’s light for she had been blessed with dark vision. But, she really should be behind Luella, especially since her massive sword had quite a bit of range on it. “Should I not try to at least lure one out by itself?” Luella asked as she unsheathed her sword, looking over her shoulder at Elle and noting her expression.

“You’re looking a little pale. I thought witches loved spiders.” She joked, if only because now she could. Soon enough, she would need to focus on securing that eye, and maybe even in making sure they didn’t go after Elle. She hoped she could just grab the attention of only one spider.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

It was perhaps inevitable that Elle would end up in a situation such as this; only so much smarting off could go unpunished, and she lived in a forest where there were hordes of giant spiders. She hadn't thought too much of the situation prior to bringing Luella here, but now Elle was faced with the burning question of her own mortality as she stared down the thousands of eyes in the distance.

"I... hadn't thought of how to lure it. Like I said, I... usually find their moltings..." she said, growing increasingly nervous. "Spiders are great for ingredients, but I've never had a run-in with a live one--"

She stepped back. The ground didn't give way how it normally did. In the moonlight in her hand, she looked down and saw her foot was now encased in thick white webbing--she had backed directly into the outer layer of the spiders' apparently massive hunting area. Her eyes widened with pure terror as she looked in the distance and saw the eyes begin to shift, shuffle, and move like a sea of reflections moving towards them in one terrifying mass.

She tried to lift her foot up. It wouldn't budge, not even close. The webbing had attached to her leg, too, so she couldn't even slip out of her shoe if she wanted.

"I'm stuck," Elle said, almost hoarse. "Luella, I'm stuck. I can't move."

The horde grew closer. It was almost like the sound of a mouse:

"Help."

 

[Zaire]

The webs on the ground seemed to have been missed by Luella, or perhaps she was just so entranced by the multitude of yellow eyes that covered the wall of rock she hadn’t even thought about looking down. She was debating on how one could go about in luring a spider as arachnids weren’t a common predator that Luella had ran into. Often, any arachnids she came across she usually could just stomp on. She noticed the spiders beginning to shift and move, but she had yet to notice Elle. Until she spoke.

Luella turned her head back from the spiders to Elle and then back to the spiders, seeing them really starting to move towards her. She could see her stuck in the sticky webbing, and she frowned, looking over at her sword. It was not normal steel, this was something created with magick and far superior to those in this mortal realm. However, was there a chance that it would get caught on the webbing?

“Let me try pulling you out,” Luella offered, sheathing her sword and placing her arms at Elle’s waist. Her grip was strong and she did her best not to hurt her. With her feet firmly planted to the ground, Luella did her best to pull Elle out of the webbing. “Hold on,” Luella grunted, taking a step back and pulling up and out as best as she could. Still stuck. And as Luella looked behind her, she could see the large spiders arriving closer and closer. “You’re going to need to trust me…” Luella said, unsheathing her sword and stepping away from Elle. “I think it may be in our best interest to get rid of them first and then try to figure how to get you out.”

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Despite Luella's attempts to get her out, Elle's panic was growing by the minute.

"GetmeoutgetmeoutgetmeoutGETMEOUT!!!"

The spiders were getting closer still, and her foot wouldn't budge. In a panic, she channeled some of the latent energy she was beginning to feel flowing through her veins like a current. The light in her hand amplified, the surrounding area being lit well enough to be seen like day. Elle's eyes glowed with a moonlike aura, and the spiders were now directly in view.

"I don't care what you do, just kill every. last. spider and get me out of this WEB!"

She held forward her free hand and a thin beam of what appeared to be moonlight sprang from one of her fingertips, igniting the first spider the beam came into contact with. The moon spirit had intervened and Elle's hair flowed like water in the air as the energy continued to radiate from her form.

"Go, Luella. I will protect you." A thin suddenly veiled Luella, like a suit of armor made from moonlight. Elle continued to project the moonbeam, incinerating small groups of spiders as she depended on Luella to protect her. Elle knew she couldn't maintain this for long; her body wouldn't allow it, even with her Patron.

 

[Zaire]

Luella could understand the panic, to an extent. She was once like that. She would never be like that again. There was a deep breath, her lavender eyes looking quite determined. She had no armor on, but she was always rather sure of her skills. With her massive sword and fancy footwork, against less sentient creatures she always seemed to fare rather well. Besides, hadn’t she gone through much, much worse?

She was worried about messing up, and yet, as if reading her mind, the witch seemed to possess some rather special powers after all. She could feel the magick that protected her, and when she looked down at her left hand gripping the hilt of her claymore she saw the transparent of a luminous blue glow on her pale skin. Once more, she looked over and saw Elle behind her, looking as if she had been submerged under water. Cute, she looked like a mermaid.

The spiders came into their vicinity and Luella had no time to admire Elle’s hair, focusing fully on the task at hand and bent her legs. She launched herself to the first wave, using wide horizontal swings of her claymore to cut through the arachnids. Her sword sliced through their plump, juicy bodies like a butcher knife against a blueberry. With each cut of her sword, a gush of purple liquid would spray about, clinging to the iridiscent silver of Luella’s claymore. Splashes of violet innards and brown mucous-like ooze flew against the grass, trees and other spiders as Luella allowed herself to be surrounded.

She began using her feet to stomp on them, popping the bugs like a fleshy balloon of glopping intenstines that would ooze out from their leathery skin and reach all the way up towards Luella’s knees, still swinging her sword at the horde. She would lunge, leap and spin, yet to have one get within her guard. She moved swiftly, each movement quite precise despite wave upon wave, which did cause her to slip back and few times to allow herself to be able to complete a wider attack. And then as her chest was heaving, her heart beating faster and faster, there was only a dozen spiders left. With an irritated war cry she moved forward, her sword piercing through them and viciously slicing through them.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle was focused only on the mob of spiders that had finally closed on them. As Luella sprang forward with sword in hand, Elle thought quickly and channeled more energy to create thin walls of incendiary moonlight that torched any spiders that tried to get into Luella's flanks, maintaining them and Luella's moon armor throughout the entire fight.

The violence was more than Elle had ever seen. She'd seen entrails before but it was another to see things being torn apart alive with fire and sword in real time. In the heat of it all she admired Luella's skill and efficiency in killing, genuinely impressed with her fluid movements and precise cuts.

As the Spiders thinned, Elle began to calm down a bit; her foot was still stuck, but the immediate threat was gone and she was breathing heavily. She saw Luella perhaps beginning to return, and tried to speak.

"Luella... Lue.. I... ah..."

The magic faded from her completely, and she lost consciousness, collapsing to the forest floor despite her foot's attachment to the webbing, hitting the ground with an audible *thud* before Luella could reach her. She fell with her hand outstretched, trying to reach Luella before she completely slipped away.

 

[Zaire]

They worked well together in this moment, Elle providing support with Luella’s fast and hard attacks. The spiders had diminished rather quickly, how many the two of them had ended couldn’t be made out as there were so many bits and pieces in a sea of carnage. Luella lashed out her sword and rotated her wrist to flick off the blood from the blade before sheathing it. She’d clean it later, now she needed to check on Elle. She turned, stepping through gushing thoraxes and twitching legs. She bent down to pull out a large yellow eye from a head of the spider who’s mandible and jaws were still moving. When Luella had looked back up, she saw Elle passing out. Shock and worry passed briefly through her lavender eyes before she took off to Elle’s fallen body.

Luella lifted her up onto her knees to check her vitals, seeing that she was breathing and did indeed have a heart beat. Perhaps she had over exerted herself then, which might have made sense considering the burst of power she had used during the fight. The veil of armor she had placed on her was able to keep Luella safe, she knew that it was strong. It must have required a lot out of her. Gently laying her back down, Luella unsheathed her sword and looked over at the web that had tangled itself into Elle’s leg.

With a steady hand, she began to cut away at the webs on her leg and foot. There was still webbing stuck to Elle’s shoe and leg, but she was no longer connected to it and so it allowed Luella to pick her up— and rather easily this time. Her sword back in it’s scabbard, spider eyeball in Elle’s basket, Luella had placed an arm to support Elle’s back and one underneath the bend of her knees to carry her bridal style. She stood up and the blonde duanann began to carry the dark haired witch back to her cottage. She went at a steady jog, doing her best not rock Elle around as she had rested her head against her chest. Luckily, her memory was quite good and she made it back to Elle’s cottage rather easily, stooping low to enter the place and going to place Elle on the chair she had sat on when Luella first arrived.

Elle Selena