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

[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.

wrap?

[crackedreflection]

"The most righteous kind of party of all," MT says in a complete monotone.

"Yeehaw."