Video

[crackedreflection]

[The video clicks on, and wow that's certainly a faceful of angry metal child scowling at the mirror. MT is sitting slouched against her bed, one hand holding a crowbar poised to smash the mirror and the other pointing somewhere offscreen. The natural light streaming in through the open window is a harsh contrast to the bags under her eyes.]

[MT just sits there in silence for a full eleven seconds, eyeing the mirror suspiciously, before she sighs and lowers the crowbar to her side. (She doesn't completely let go of it, though.) Then, she picks up the mirror and turns it towards where her arm is pointing. Which is towards a wall almost entirely covered in messy black spray paint. Which is shooting out of her index finger and through a glowing magic circle at its tip.]

How do I stop this.

[She sounds very, very tired.]

It's been going for thirteen hours without stopping. I just want some sleep. Is that too much to ask?

Comments

[strangeandunusual]

What are you trying to stop, exactly?

[crackedreflection]

The paint, dummy. What else?

[strangeandunusual]

[rude. but she lives with ruder, depending on Mal's mood. and Aziraphale has his moments too. she's gotten pretty good at ignoring it.]

Well ... how did it start? What were you doing?

[crackedreflection]

I was trying to cast a spray-paint spell. Apparently I'm supposed to Ruby Slippers my way into magic or whatever, so I thought of home and now... [She gestures wildly to the almost entirely-black wall.] this.

[strangeandunusual]

First magic never goes right, if it makes you feel any better. My roommate tried to dye our hair and everything started turning purple. I'm able to heal stuff, though, so I might be able to help you stop it ... what room are you in?

[crackedreflection]

[That mental image actually manages to get MT to snicker a little bit, and the stream of spray paint lessens ever-so-slightly.]

I sleep in 6B. If you've heard somebody jumping up and down on furniture right above you, that's us. Or BJ, more accurately.

[MT was too heavy to join in. Unfortunately.]

[strangeandunusual]

Oh yeah, I definitely know him. [unlike most MT may have spoken with, she doesn't sound beleaguered by the fact]

I'll be right up.

[true to her word, she knocked on their door and grinned at the new nameplate. two roommates who went by initials. and MT didn't sound like she hated her roomie, either, which was good. he needed more friends, Lydia thought. the positive reinforcement would be good for him.]

MT? It's Lydia, can I come in? If the door's open, you don't have to wrestle with it...

[since if she were a walking paint fountain herself, she'd want to reduce the damage area as much as possible]

princess healing powers also have a soothing element right

[crackedreflection]

DOOR'S OPEN!

[When Lydia enters MT's room, it's even more of a disaster than what was visible through the mirror; it looks like a nomadic raccoon suddenly had to get acclimated to living in the same place. And that's not even counting the paint that's everywhere. Thankfully, MT had enough good sense to open the window, but the smell is still overpowering.]

[(Curiously, there are no reflective surfaces anywhere in the room other than the magic mirror. Some habits are hard to break.]

[MT somehow manages to make a wave sardonic as Lydia enters.]

Hey.

[She's trying to sound casual, but it just makes her come off as even more tired.]

they sure can!

[strangeandunusual]

[luckily, Lydia is used to the smell of spray paint. even so, she waves back before putting her sleeve to her mouth.]

I'm amazed you can see me.

[the smile in her voice is clear: MT has made perfect Deetz camo. the joke comes with a warm glow from the green scarab beetle jewel on her choker: healing energy meant to cut the tension in the room and clear the air in more ways than one. she moves to open a window before turning to address MT]

I know this is a strange question, but... What does safe feel like, to you?

[it's how her healing magic generally works for other apprentices: she tries to project that feeling of being safe, home, and happy]

[crackedreflection]

[MT's silent for almost a full minute while she thinks, brow creased. Then her expression collapses, changing from "sulky" to something resembling "vulnerable," and it's suddenly very obvious that she's only thirteen.]

[Then she says, in a very small voice:]

I don't know.

[It's clear that there's no melodramatics here, no overwrought theatrics. MT genuinely can't think of anything.]

[strangeandunusual]

[Lydia only has a few years on MT, and she knows that feeling so keenly. she remembers how unsteady and lost she was during the divorce, and tries to remember the things that made her feel safe, herself. curling up under a blanket with a cup of cocoa and a good book, listening to rain pelting against the window of her room. something gloomy to match her mood on her record player. anything that reminded her she wasn't the only one scared and unhappy while the world turned around her. she projects that feeling into her hands as much as she can, then steps up to MT and hugs her, not caring a whit for the spray paint. it'll wash. what she needs now is a friend. the hug is soothing in itself, and will at the very least calm a racing heart and mind]

That's okay. We can figure it out together. Have you ever had hot cocoa?

[crackedreflection]

[Somehow, that makes MT angry.]

[Well, maybe angry's not the best word. More like... jealous? Not at Lydia, though. It's clear from the look on her face that somebody else is the target of her envy.]

Only vicariously.

[what does that even mean,]

[strangeandunusual]

Then we're going to fix that, too. I know I gave Beej a tin of it when he kept drinking mine. It's got to be around here somewhere.

[the strangeness of the comment doesn't phase her much - she's been in the Kingdom a little over half a year, and has heard all sorts of odd things]

But first, your hand.

[she steps back out of the hug and puts her hands gently around MT's wrist. the choker around her neck glows even brighter as she speaks, softly]

What's been done, now undo: make MT's finger good as new!

[the stream of paint freezes in midair, then starts to move in reverse, back into MT's hand. as the last of it reaches the magic circle, the circle shrinks to a pinpoint, then fizzles out like a sparkler, leaving everything the way it should be.]

didn't expect this bomb to get dropped this early but

[crackedreflection]

[As the circle disappears, there's a small hitch in the spell. The magic stumbles over something, a detail that isn't quite right, and the paint comes back in full force.]

[If Lydia thinks about it for even a few moments, the exact point where the spell went wrong becomes apparent: MT's name.]

[It isn't hers. She may call herself it, but she didn't choose it, nor does she particularly want it.]

What? Why isn't it working?

[strangeandunusual]

[Lydia frowns. thankfully experience has taught her the importance and power of names, and it doesn't take her long to figure it out]

Your name.

[she says it quietly, carefully.] What does "MT" actually stand for? I need your full, real name for it to work.

[crackedreflection]

I...

[MT hugs her knees to her chest and looks away from Lydia, the anguish on her face clear to see. Great. So it comes down to this. Again..]

[She hates life.]

I don't have a name, okay!

I... MT means...

[Damnit, is she crying now? God, she is and she hates it.]

[strangeandunusual]

Oh, no.

[Lydia crouches down next to her and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder]

It's okay! If you don't like what it stands for, you don't have to tell me. Plenty of people I know go by names other than what most people want to call them. The Doctor, Missy ... even Beetlejuice. You can pick a name you like.

[crackedreflection]

IT MEANS MIRROR TULIP!

[MT blurts it out before Lydia can finish her heartwarming speech.]

[She curls up even more, staring intently at the floor.]

[strangeandunusual]

Mirror...?

[Lydia's face crumples in concern as she settles in next to MT. Beetlejuice and the Doctor have shown her enough about the nature of multiple universes to know that that means there's ... another of her, somehow. one that, by the nature of the name, considers itself to be "original" or "better", or something equally gross. she speaks again, softly, gently, without pity, just kindness]

You've never even had a name of your own, have you?

[crackedreflection]

No! I barely even know how to be human; I've only been in the real world for a few months! And even though I know it's safe here I can't stop looking over my shoulder and double-checking for reflections because I can't imagine a universe where the flecs aren't trying to find and kill me!

[strangeandunusual]

[there's enough context there for Lydia to guess what 'flecs' are, and the smashed mirrors suddenly make an awful lot of sense.]

It must be hard adapting to being human. But that's okay. Everyone here is adapting to something! And I've been human my whole life ... I can help if you have questions, or even if you just need to talk about it. Here. Let's try something else.

[she gently takes MT's wrists again]

Truest form and purest heart,
remove this stressful taint:
She's already a work of art,
without a hand of paint.

[crackedreflection]

[MT blushes at the compliment, turning away as Lydia works her magic. She's not used to being treated as anything more than an animate object, so the attention is... nice.]

[This time, the magic works, and MT only has one thing to say:]

Thank you.

[strangeandunusual]

You're welcome.

[as relieved as her new friend is, Lydia is probably just as much so ... she was worried it wouldn't work without a name, but what she realized as she cast the spell was that it was more about the feelings attached to it, and how very much she wanted to be able to help her. the empathy she felt was like a chalk door into wherever the magic of the Kingdoms came from. and now that the door was closing, the room began to spin. she looked briefly for a chair not covered in paint, then just gave up and sat down hard on the floor.

ow.]

[crackedreflection]

I-

[Before MT can finish articulating her thought, Lydia looks like she's about to faint and damnit this is her fault isn't it and she would totally help if the marathon spell wasn't also taking its toll on her and now she's falling down too]

[MT isn't capable of feeling pain, but she lets out a small] Ow, [in solidarity.]

[strangeandunusual]

Tired as she was, Lydia couldn't help but giggle as MT thunked down next to her on the floor. The success of the spell, the relief, and the slight adrenaline rush that came with the promise of new friendship made her just a tad loopy.

"It's a floor party," she said.