CG and Reese speak quietly in the corner.
CG: Reese, you look kinda scared, are you okay?
Reese: Um, I don't know, I just don't want anything bad to happen.
CG: Yeah, well... Oh! Okay, like last week or something I was at the city, right?
Reese: You went to the city again?
CG: Well duh, that's like, my element. You like dirt or whatever, but I thrive in the city.
Reese: But aren't cities really smelly? That's what Inalia told me.
CG: Psh, I don't know who this Inalia person is but no way. They're super cool and awesome. Anyway, that's not the point. Guess what happened while I was there.
Reese: You exploded.
CG: Yeah, and then the whole city exploded like a blast caused from the battlemages.
Reese: The battlemages?
CG: You know, from before this kingdom, when we witches ruled.
Reese: Ohhhh, okay. So what happened after the city exploded?
CG: Okay shut up I wanna actually tell my story.
Reese: Bleh, story, gross, I want to talk about exploding cities.
CG: Girl all you do is sit around reading books, don't "bleh, story" me.
Reese: Yeah, well, all you do is sit around scribbling over books so don't try to tell me a story.
CG: But when I scribble on books it tells a story because I'm an artist.
Reese: Nuh uh.
CG: Wooooooow, ruuuuuuuuuuuuude.
Reese: Wait so what was the story?
CG: Well it's not actually that cool of a story, but now it feels like it has to be really super cool since it got interrupted so much.
Reese: Bleh, cool stories, gross, I want to talk about boring stories.
CG: Mmmmm fine. So I was walking down the street and I spotted a silver coin in the dirt. I picked it and wiped it off, looked it over, all that, and it was real silver. Well first off, what is a silver coin doing in the slums? Second off, I don't care about that, I pocket the money and go on my way. Well turns out a cutpurse got a bit too literal with their title and some rich drunk was leaking money like a punctured waterskin.
Reese: In the middle of the day?
CG: No, this was at night. Witches are pretty much only awake at night. Anyway, once I heard that I had to wonder, why was a rich guy getting drunk in the slums? Well, again, I didn't really care so I said thanks to the beggar who told me all this, ignored them asking me for money or whatever, and kept on my walking.
Reese: You ignored him? Right after finding a silver coin? That seems really rude.
CG: Well first off, I did ignore her, and second off, yeah, I ignored her. Once you live the life of a beggar you never have to give one money again, that's how it works.
Reese: You were a beggar? Also, I feel like it would be the other way around.
CG: Yes, you're wrong, and also not the point. Look, so I kept walking, thinking to myself, man, I wonder how I'm gonna spend all this money! So I get my way over to a tavern for a good meal and when I get there some people are laughing or whatever, one of them like kinda nice dressed. You know, like a coat kinda like Kennari's but not so stupid looking.
Reese: Hey her coat is nice, your cloak is the stupid one.
CG: We have the same cloak! We all have this cloak!
Reese: Yeah, well, mine doesn't have silly glowing rocks on it.
CG: Oh you wish yours could have glowing rocks on it.
Reese: Noooooooo.
CG: ANYWAY, nice dressed guy, he's sitting there talking and laughing, little urchin kid comes in, maybe like 5 years old, has a big coin pouch and dagger at the waist, about to get the attention of the dressed guy, and I realize what's going on here.
CG: It was pretty late, right? So that rich guy must have been drinking for a while. Well, dressed guy finds a rich guy and sees how willing he is to drink, realizes he's a prime target. Gets rich guy all liquored up, leads him down to the slums, and tells an urchin to snag his purse while he stumbles home. Next thing you know, I got a silver coin, beggar's probably got 5, and urchin's got a whole bag of them.
CG: Well that urchin, right, he's about to hand over a treasure. Bread for a year. I bet the dressed guy is gonna give him one ass coin as "payment" and call it there. Well, not on my watch. I slip out of my chair, lay a hand on the urchin before anyone notices him, and there you go, we're both invisible.
CG: Urchin doesn't realize why he can't see, so I'm over here keeping a hand over his mouth trying to calm him down, take him outside, try not to bump into anything blind. I get out the door and make us both visible. Kid's rattled, but like, yeah, I would be too. So I take a second to calm him down and make sure he realizes what's gonna happen if he hands that purse over to the dressed guy. Kid's all like, oh okay, or whatever, I don't know 5 year olds are stupid, and next thing you know we're splitting it 50/50.
Reese: 50/50?
CG: I get half the coins, he gets the other half.
Reese: Ohhhhh. Wait, so how many coins do you have?!
CG: Heh. Like 12.
Reese: :ooooooooooooo
CG: Yeah. Crazy. I don't know what to do with them all though. They're small coins so it's probably not worth, like, an insane amount, but I'm pretty sure it's all silver.
Reese: That is crazy. I think I would-
Reese: Wait, did she say I would become a witch?!
CG: Yeah! It would be awesome.
Reese: Um, I don't know if I want to become a witch.
CG: What? Why not?
Reese: It sounds scary and evil and also Kennari is scary.
CG: But come on! I mean, isn't it cool how I can turn invisible?
Reese: Uhhhhh, yeah kinda I guess or I don't know but also uhhhhh-
CG: And we'll get to hang out every night! It would be the best.
Reese: -uhhhhhhh I mean okay. It sounds like it would be fun but, um, what about my friends here? And my mom? And my brother? And what about Ouroboros?
CG: Well it's like Kennari just said! Pretend you're getting educated in the city, and then you can come back every so often to see people and hang out and it would be great.
Reese: I don't know. Maybe. Um.
CG: I-
Reese: ...
CG: You could cure the Starfall.
Reese: What?
CG: The spell to help your mother. Witches discovered it!
Reese: But how does that let me cure it?
CG: Well, okay, you probably wouldn't cure it, but there are a ton of witches trying to figure out how to cure it. You could work with them! Maybe you wouldn't cure the whole thing, but you could figure out a spell that would help your mom and, like, everyone else who has the Starfall! I mean, there's even someone I know in-
CG: (Remember, Reese! You could cure the Starfall!)
Kennari, Stella, and Veli face eachother in uncomfortable silence.
Kennari: So, did they tell you anything?
Stella: i overheard some amount from my very loud children.
Veli: Sorry, mom.
Stella: it's okay, veli. to be sure i understand, you have some way of healing me?
Kennari: No, not healing. Helping.
Stella: elaborate, please.
Kennari: Sure. Just give me a second to think how I can put this simply.
Kennari: Right, so when you got hit by the star it lodged itself into your literal soul. From there, something about its essence or nature slowly poisons your soul, killing you. What we've discovered is a spell that removes the star from your soul. The poison already in your soul won't go away, but no more will be added. It'll still kill you, but slowly. In theory, it should give you another few years of life.
Stella: so you can use the witch's powers to remove her own stars?
Kennari: Yeah, something like that.
Stella: but why would she let you do that?
Kennari: Well, ok...
Kennari: To start, she doesn't really control what we can do with our power. I mean, if she really is sending down those stars on purpose, she basically just sets a few parameters and lets us handle the rest. Assuming there is design in the stars, I'm certain we've come up with stuff the designer never accounted for. Like this spell.
Stella: and she has no way of stopping you?
Kennari: No. At least, she hasn't stopped us yet.
Stella: i see. so, witch, what is it you want?
Kennari: Well, first I'd like to hear what you have to offer.
Stella: not much. we have a bit of money and whatever you saw on the way in here.
Kennari: Yeah, I can imagine how rough it is. Just Veli to provide for everyone?
Veli: Reese helps too, you know.
Kennari: I'm not surprised to hear it.
Stella: but your point is taken, witch. what do you want?
Kennari: That- wasn't supposed to be a point. I know what I want, but I was wondering if there was anything else you had to offer.
Stella: that's a very ominous way of speaking.
Kennari: Yeah. I mean, sorry about this, I'm usually much more direct. I-
Kennari: I want to take your daughter as an apprentice.
Veli and Stella are stunned into silence.
Veli: No. No way.
Stella: kennari, was it? why do you want my daughter as an apprentice?
Kennari: Cause she's smart. She taught herself to read. Also, because it's the best possible outcome here.
Stella: is it now?
Kennari: Yeah. Witching law dictates that I'm allowed to perform this procedure to aid you, but afterwards I have to lock off all memories pertaining to us. That means Reese would forget about my apprentice, and if you needed any further help you wouldn't be able to contact us. But...
Stella: but?
Kennari: If I have an apprentice, their immediate family is allowed to retain memories so long as they swear on the gods to keep quiet.
Veli: But a witch..? I mean, I can still barely believe you guys aren't just scamming us, and like, what does that even mean and would she be in danger of being executed or something?
Kennari: The witch hunters do exist, but they have not been active for quite some time. And yes, a witch. Stella, witch or not, you see the benefits of Reese becoming an apprentice, right?
Stella: i do.
Veli: What?
Stella: you were raised by your father, and he taught you a trade. reese has had no such fortune. she would learn... some sort of a skill this way. you would have one less mouth to feed, and i may even be able to help around the house for a few years longer. i had considered seeking someone to apprentice her before this woman appeared, veli.
Kennari: See? Benefits.
Stella: except for the numerous problems. what if your spell doesn't work? would we get to see her again? what would we tell the others? how safe is this? does she even want to do this?
Kennari: Well okay, if the spell doesn't work then we'll leave and never bother you again, no payment required. Also, you were already considering apprenticeship, so that helps. We can make a show of me being your rich cousin and taking her to be educated or whatever. As a way of helping out the family. That way she can come visit occasionally, too. And I mean, it's not the safest occupation in the world, but you're more likely to die under corvee labor than be found out by the witch hunters.
Veli: I mean, okay, being frank, this all seems to good to be true, like, where's the catch?
Kennari: The catch is that she has to become a witch, with all the legal and societal ostracization attached. But, she'll have you two, and she'll have the rest of us. We're a close group. We like to stick together. It's a pretty bad catch, but it's not like she's selling her soul or anything.
Stella: and, i'm sorry if i'm repeating myself, but why go to all these lengths? surely taking on a new apprentice isn't entirely simple.
Kennari: No, but like I said, Reese seems smart. I'd hate to see that wasted in a marriage with a blacksmith or something, sitting around raising kids and selling horseshoes. Also, well...
She quiets down so CG and Reese can't overhear.
Kennari: This whole thing was my apprentice's scheme. He wants me to take her on cause he's lonely. Which, I mean, he lives out in the middle of the woods with me. I can't blame him for wanting a friend.
Veli and Stella meet eyes. Veli sighs and turns away.
Stella: i need to speak with my daughter. please leave the room.
Kennari: Very well. Apprentice! Let's go.
CG: O- okay.