~thirty-nine~

[glowing_science]

[Phone; Filtered from drones and the higher-ups]I really hope everyone's recovering from all the... everything. And I hope those of you who were stupid enough to fall for it are happy with yourselves. This town never, ever gives anything up so easily. They're just messing with our heads

Comments

[ooeeooahah]

[ Knock at the back door. Ilsa's got an oddly shaped something wrapped in kitchen towels in her hands. ]

[glowing_science]

[Gets up to see who it is, then opens the door and gives Ilsa a small smile.]

Hey there. You okay?

[She feels like she should say more, but... well, what do you say to a woman who watched you be murdered?]

[ooeeooahah]

I went to my default and started cooking again.

[ She hands over the bundle, it smells of cinnamon and is still warm. ]

Is everything back to normal for you?

[glowing_science]

[Ema accepts the bundle and gives it a sniff. Mmmm.]

You didn't have to do this, Ilsa. But thank you.

I'm doing as well as can be expected. I've been in Mayfield for a year; it doesn't get any easier, but you learn how to cope and recover.

[ooeeooahah]

I'm wishing I hadn't missed you going to work that morning. Maybe we could have changed the timing of [ she makes a hand motion, indicating bizarre coincidences and coffee ] that creep at the hospital.

I didn't find him.

I heard someone else took care of it, but that was after I was out of it.

[glowing_science]

A friend of mine did. She told me who was responsible and everything.

It's... it's fine. It's not your fault that he's a total monster and works there. And it's not your fault you were... taken out before you could do anything.

[ooeeooahah]

I wasn't sure how things would work out. Even after we talked, there was the thought that they could still bring her here. They still could.

It's why I put a geas before him to watch out for her. I'm not sure if he picked it up or not.

[ She shrugs ] I'm not above asking for the balance to help.

[glowing_science]

...they could. But it's something that's, unfortunately, entirely beyond our control. I hope they don't.

[Pause.]

A geas? The balance?

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa nearly slides into the religious flim-flam screen she uses when she slipped up at home, but she's reluctant to side-step Ema's questions. ]

It's... not quite so much as complicated as different. Back home, I wasn't just a psychiatrist.

[ She's nervously looking about, almost as if she were checking for other observers. ]

[glowing_science]

You weren't?

[Ema sets the bundle of baked goods down on the counter near where she's standing.]

What else did you do, if you don't mind my asking? I've been here long enough to not be surprised by much of anything, anymore.

[ooeeooahah]

It's not something I'm used to talking about, because back home, we had to hide it.

[ Ilsa traces her recognition sigil in the air between them, and it glows briefly with a pale blue light. ]

[ She waits for Ema's reaction before going further. ]

[glowing_science]

[Ema's eyes widen, although it's more out of fascination than anything else. She's pretty sure she hasn't seen anything quite like that. Natural curiosity kicks in.]

Magic?

[ooeeooahah]

[ She nods. ] I just got it back this week. It was... kind of startling. It took me a little bit to remember the control. I mean - I've always had it. So it's been kind of like having to concentrate on every muscle in the sequence, instead of just reaching out to grab a cup.

[ She winces. ] I haven't even gotten enough control back to set up my usual house defenses. That's something I need to do soon.

[glowing_science]

They tend to give major powers like this back in parts, based on what I've seen in other people. [Schuldig in particular; she's pretty sure he's still not even up to his full capacity.] So getting it all back at once is probably overwhelming.

Not that I'd know; I don't come from a world where powers like that exist. It's all alien to me.

[ooeeooahah]

[ She nods, and smiles a bit. ] You never know, they might be, and you never ran up on a situation where they had to reveal themselves. Though honestly, I've seen more oddities here than I ever had on the hunt back home.

[ Ilsa rubs the back of her neck. ] You'd be surprised what some people just refuse to see, because it doesn't fit their world view. I hate exploiting that, but sometimes I had to, just so someone could forget. There's a few "ferocious dog attacks" on the books because someone couldn't wrap their head around the memory that a hell-hound tried to eat them.

[glowing_science]

A hell-hound?! What does that even look like?

And you're on the hunt? What do you hunt? Hell-hounds?

[All kinds of incredulous, here.]