Wizard's House

[wizardseason]

"Hey"

The Wizard greets the evil-allured knights the same way every night, with the same word, while casually sitting on the steps of the porch outside of her little home. The building looks handmade, like it was built by people who cared about the place they were going to live. Surrounding it on all sides are fields as far as the eye can see. Vegetables of all kinds, with fruit trees and bushes placed throughout the landscape. Closer to the home are bigger trees, willows and others, providing shade from the strange three suns above. Wherever this is, it isn't the world that the knights know.

Plunged into the ground a mere few feet away from the steps leading up to the home is a handwritten sign that states the following:

Knight Rules:
- Tell others if you want
- You can't reveal others
- The world ends this year

Comments

[wizardseason]

"They're a favorite of mine. They never spoil, either." As she says it, she's stepping back up on the path and looking around.

"What do you want in all this, dragon knight?" She turns the tables, turning to look into Haizea's eyes again.

"Only survival?"

[tropicalstorm]

She continues to eat the grindyen, only stopping to lick the juice off her hands. When the Wizard asks her question, she pauses, one finger still in her mouth as she thinks.

"What else could I want?" she finally replies.

[scandeled]

Matilda’s face turns pale, and she physically recoils at the very suggestion. “N-no! I’ll make the attempts on my own, thank you!”

[wizardseason]

Benefits of a seedless treat: No part of the grindyen was inedible, so there'll be nothing left when Haizea's done with it. For now, the Wizard shakes her head in response.

"Knights have wanted for many things." She glances up towards the sky, remembering the ones she'd heard.

"Some possible. Some impossible."

[wizardseason]

That reaction is, overall, particularly telling about who Matilda is as a person. She'd found the right buttons to push, here. Could she push further?

"I could make the weapons Cif gives you stronger."

[tropicalstorm]

She finishes off the grindyen and looks at her hands, almost a little surprised that there’s no stem, core or pit to dispose of. What a good plant!

Before she replies to the Wizard, she sighs and puts a hand on her hip. “If I’d been picked as a Knight 25 years ago, I’d probably have something I wanted. But at this point, I’m happy. I have people who I care for that care about me, and I have the means to look out for them. I just want to survive and I want to make it home,” she says and pauses before continuing.

“I guess the only impossible thing I want is for all of us to make it home safely, all the Knights and the Princess. It’s never happened before so people say it’s impossible, but, well, I’ve done a lot of things that people said were impossible. Why stop now?”

[daddykong]

Garrot is the next to arrive, stalking in from the tomato-ish patch. Earlier, he'd been too furious to pay them any mind, but now? His rage was just casually simmering, so he could afford to gawk for a second. As the doctor's field trip comes to an end, he sees Gyre. Soaking wet. Shirtless. Covered in tattoos.

It takes all his willpower to not let out a lurid, provocative "Woof" at his ally, because it is neither the time, place, or person for him to be like that. But if there's water, Haizea would want to swim too, which doesn't help matters. So he does blush a bit. Is he going to have to tell them to keep their clothes on in this weird dream world?! What if there's something in the water?!

"Hey Wizard!" He shouts the words, choosing to focus on work instead. "Gimme one of those big whiteboards. You don't want us to forget anything, do you?" And then he starts stroking his beard, trying to keep himself from asking about that piece of bright plastic that Gyre's got at his neck. Or worrying about sweet, gullible Matilda. Or looking at the Trickster's Tempting Treats, just block those out entirely.

[daddykong]

"I'd hate you no matter what you looked like." His tone is deadpan- restrained. He's been putting more effort into keeping his emotions in check than he thought possible.

"Does the Protector change what he looks like?" He probably has to die for that like she does, but. Worth asking.

[wizardseason]

"He does." She nods, confirming, leaving his comment about hating her completely unanswered. There wasn't any point in confronting him on it. That's what she was for, anyway.

[daddykong]

"Can he do it without dying?" He squints at her, smelling something fishy. "Or does this mean you've both died before?"

That would be troubling, because the Protector's death would have destroyed the planet. Even though the planet is fine.

[wizardseason]

It's the best plant. If the Wizard had her way, it'd be grown everywhere for everyone. It was also great sauteed and put on top of just about anything.

"It's not impossible." She gives a reassurance because it's true. Technically, the knights never had to die. It just happened, or someone made it happen.

"I hope you get what you want." She offers with a slight smirk again, bringing a hand up to stifle a yawn.

[wizardseason]

"He can." She confirms again, leaving the answer to that second question unanswered because she knows he can fill in the blank there. She answered the important half of it.

[daddykong]

"...can you?" He raises an eyebrow. He's been doing that a lot. Good workout for those muscles at least! "And, well, which of your true forms is uglier?"

The way he sees it, if both of them can change their appearance, they've probably got something to hide. And after that Spine Thing, it's probably something unsightly.

[tropicalstorm]

“Good to know,” she murmurs. She’s a little surprised at the Wizard’s reassurance? But she’s starting to think that a lot of things she once thought about the Wizard might not be quite right.

“There’s another thing I’d like,” she says, impulsively. “I’d like you to get some rest.”

[tropicalstorm]

Haizea trots back next, absently licking the remains of the juice of the grindyen she ate earlier off her fingers and palm. She also gives Gyre a quick once over, thinks ‘nice’ but then is utterly distracted by the ramifications of him being soaking wet.

“Wait a second, Gyre, did you go swimming? Is there somewhere to swim in this bizarro world??” Garrot is absolutely right, Haizea wants to swim so bad now.

[scandeled]

Matilda groans at the scene before them, lifting her goggles back to perch atop her head as she pouts. Her eyes are still red and puffy from crying, and her mascara has run, because even in a world with endless possibilities, she is a hot mess. And she has no idea why everyone else is looking at Gyre like that. A hand on her hip, she steps up onto the porch because it makes her a little bigger.

“We don’t have time for that! There’s calamity brewing! We have to save the world!” She’s not used to speaking like this, so she half shouts the statement, cheeks flushed.

...Everyone else knew this. But it’s still fresh for her, okay?!?

[wizardseason]

When Gyre asks for a towel, one settles around his shoulders dangling off the back of his neck.

When Garrot asks for a whiteboard, one manifests at roughly arm-height stacked on top of the sign she'd driven into the ground. It's facing her so she can watch what he'll write and it can't be turned. There are all six primary and secondary color markers, one black, and an eraser.

She leaves it open for Gyre to answer Haizea, but she glances up towards where Matilda's making an announcement while standing on her porch.

"You can sit, if you'd like to."

[sustainer]

Well he catches Garrot Looking at him, and winks. And then catches Haizea Looking, and winks to her too. He expects it from Matilda for a moment too, but... nope, she's just up there making a frantic announcement. Has she not realized they're in a dream?

He won't be the one to tell her, bringing the towel up over his head like he's not surprised it appeared there, scrubbing at his hair for now. Under the towel, he's watching Haizea, smiling lightly.

"Yeah, it's out that way. The water's purple. It's pretty with all the," gestures upwards, "sunlight. Suns? Light?" If he notices Garrot wanting to make notes, he doesn't give any indication.

[wizardseason]

Keep that up, Garrot, and those eyebrows are going to flutter off like little birds. At his words, though, the tiniest amusement makes it into the corners of her smirk.

"I can. But he was always the better looking one." She's wondering what sort of insult he'll put together with that information. He seemed intent on being a bit rude.

[wizardseason]

"I can't." Her answer comes without hesitation, but not emotional as she says it. Just like someone correcting a fact, something that should be known.

"Unless he's dead." She clarifies.

[daddykong]

Garrot sees that wink and he just turns beet red, looking just to look back and see him doing the same to Haizea and oh no. Wait until the job is over, he reminds himself. No distractions allowed.

But then Matilda's call to arms is enough to snap him back to 'reality', and he claps his hands together as loudly as he can! "Alright, Miss Hamilton! Way to show initiative!" Garrot smiles at her, even though she didn't do much.

"Everyone, pick a marker and write down everything you heard." And then he shoots a toxic glare towards the Wizard. "In case she lied." Trust is for people who aren't directly responsible for his father's death, whoops. However, Garrot simply strides on over to Matilda, gesturing that he's willing to wrap an arm around her if she'd let him.

"Are you okay?" She does not look okay. At all. She must have learned something terrible.

[tropicalstorm]

Haizea waggles her eyebrows at Gyre's winks, then catches Garrot's full face blush and grins. This is all very interesting, she'll keep these reactions in mind for later.

"Purple water... I'd like to see that." This is a bit of an understatement, she really wants to go check that lake out.

She picks a blue marker but doesn't uncap it just yet. "All that matters is that the world isn't gonna end this year if we don't let it. And... I don't think she's been lyin'."

[scandeled]

Matilda really isn't sure what bullshit everyone else is on, and even side-eyes the wizard to see if she's in on this too. She stays there, pouting, hand on her hip, until Garrot praises her, and then she's all enthusiasm. Her entire body flounces, and she beams, balling her fists. "It's our greatest escapade!"

Though, she seems less enthused by the suggestion that The Wizard's lying. Her lips quirk, but she doesn't really have a chance to protest, because Garrot's...showing her concern? She smiles up at him, giving a little nod. "Y-yeah! I just really want to be sure I can help save everyone!"

[wizardseason]

It was fascinating to see Gyre, Haizea, and Garrot flirting up a storm right here in front of her. At least her knights are lively, that was nice. She watches as they go through their motions, chiming in when necessary.

"I'll pass on writing" She adds in response to Garrot with a smirk.

"I haven't." She confirms Haizea's comment that she wasn't lying. She'd let the Knights come to their own conclusions, at least, but added honesty never hurt.

She'd already tried her luck with Matilda before, so she leaves out any witty commentary. She's curious what the knights are going to write.

[sustainer]

For the first time since he left the wizard's side, it occurs to him that maybe he came down on a different side then everyone else after listening to the wizard's story. He sees the look Garrot shoots her, and he supposes he's not totally surprised about that. Haizea is suggesting there's an easy way to avoid the end. Matilda is... doing her thing. She definitely seems distressed about people dying, so he can only assume she's not into the wizard's plan.

He ends up pursing his lips as he listens to everyone, keeping quiet while he dries himself off. Once he's dry enough, the towel is tucked around his shoulders again, and he moves towards the board, collecting a purple marker and turning it over thoughtfully in his hands. How is he supposed to say he can't write in Common, god dammit.

He's going to try to be sneaky about it, he supposes, and he glances in Haizea's direction after a moment of thought. He sounds very! curious!! as he asks, "What do you mean, 'if we don't let it'? What'd she say?" Let's just talk this out, guys, who needs notes, right?