The Scorpion Oracle whispers, 'come on, turn the page.'

[wastlandrage]

The light filtering into the cells dims to an orange glow, and the scent of smoke and burning meat starts to carry through the air. The doors to every cell simultaneously grind open, and the guards - those not part of the walls of the dungeons - wait to lead the prisoners down the hall and up a set of stairs worn practically ramp-smooth

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[whateverthemess]

Murphy's retreated from the main group to a darker corner of the room. She knows she's still being watched, but the illusion of privacy, some small dose of it, is better than trying this in the middle of a crowd.

"Here's hoping I don't strangle myself," she mutters, and closes her eyes. She can feel the hum of the Quakeheart - the Quakeheart, she thinks, distracted into pressing one hand against the wall and feeling a thrum like a pulse inside it.

"This is weird," she says to no one. Is this what the world feels like to Harry? If she thinks about it, she can almost feel those hovering threads she saw weaving through the carnival; she can definitely feel the white-hot thorns of power Kitsune sunk into Murphy's own chest. She takes a deep breath, feels it rear up to meet her- and a bouquet of flowers and thorns surges into growth around her neck, sinking tendrils under the collar and pulling and doing jack squat to get the thing off. "Maybe I should try blowing it up," Murphy says, again to the air, sounding as much ironic as annoyed.

Maybe she shouldn't be doing this at all.

[mrsarcastic003]

"Maybe not a great idea," Tim says, glancing over at her with a wry grin. "Maybe it would get the collar off--maybe it would blow your head off." He eyes her thoughtfully. She'd never mentioned any magical abilities before--where had that come from?

[whateverthemess]

She doesn't yelp, but it's a near thing. The flowers explode in tiny puffs of seed and petals and the vines drop away, dried up. "Pretty much the reason I'm not going to try it," she says. She rubs a hand over the collar, scowling. She jerks her chin toward the dais. "Her people say anything interesting after that performance? I was busy trying to keep the Doctor from getting himself killed."

[mrsarcastic003]

He scoffs quietly. "Not really. Not that I heard anyway. Just the usual awe, confusion, and sycophancy." He shakes his head a little, frowning slightly. "I have to say, I'm a little sick of being dragged hither and yon to fight in other people's wars."

[thatsortofaman]

The Doctor hates the word magic. It's stupid and superstitious, and there are better things to call whatever powers the faeries and various people pulled into the Wood happen to possess. Still, he is positive that Murphy doesn't have it. She's human. Ordinary, nonmagical, brilliantly human.

And she's currently growing flowers out of nowhere, seemingly intentionally. The Doctor can't help investigating.

He moves toward her as quietly as he can, not quite sneaking but certainly trying not to be noticed - until he's close enough to scan her with his screwdriver. It's kind of hard to go unnoticed with that buzzing at her.

[whateverthemess]

She hears it, turns and kicks him in the shin before grabbing the end of the screwdriver. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Murphy doesn't want to know what he can find out. She will not be poked like a lab rat, thanks. The flowers start braiding themselves into her hair and Murphy suppresses a shudder.

[thatsortofaman]

He yelps a little, and tries to yank the screwdriver back and away from her. "I'm trying to find a way to explain how you're doing... that," he retorts, with a nod to the flowers currently twining themselves through her hair. "What are you doing?"

[w_for_wizard]

Mouse leads Harry to Murphy. The dog stops a couple feet away, whining low in his chest. Harry keeps walking toward her, but stops just short of putting a hand on her shoulder - he remembers what happened the last time he startled her, and really doesn't feel like having those thorns twining around his throat again.

"Huh," he says softly. "Guess I wasn't imagining that part. I was kind of hoping I just dreamed it after I got knocked out..." No such luck. Of course.

[whateverthemess]

She half-strangles herself with a vine in surprise before managing to get the things to wilt- or rather poofing into little clouds of light that vanish almost at once.

She massages her neck around the collar and looks away from him - focusing instead on the dog. "Mouse?"

Murphy kneels to wrap both arms around the animal, comforting herself privately with the pretense of saying hello.

[w_for_wizard]

Mouse sits as she wraps her arms around him and leans against her, his tail sweeping along the floor. He turns his head to press his nose against her cheek, and snuffle at her hair and the collar around her neck, apparently inspecting her.

Harry stands by awkwardly for a moment, finally decides Murphy's just going to pretend the whole Miracle-Gro thing didn't just happen, and sighs a little. "Yeah, he showed up at the carnival. Guess he got pulled here like the rest of us..."