This Is Less Of A Shock Than It Could Be, Really

[maggie_of_the_owls]

Daphne is not in the relatively safe areas of her hometown or college campus, so it isn't really all that surprising when she suddenly is in a random forest instead of walking back to her car.
It's a little surprising; normally she is permitted to enter random forests of her own will. But not that much.
She starts walking, looking for whatever inane plot she will be required to participate in/thwart this time.
Eventually she sees a cottage. She makes for that--random houses in the woods are prime weird shit locales.
She knocks on the door. "Excuse me! I don't know what's going on here but I'd rather get it over with sooner rather than later so I can go home!"

Comments

[imeanforever]

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"I am suddenly intensely sympathetic to your desire to burn that fucker's house down. If anyone asks you to do something you don't want while your here you can come to me and I'll explain to them why this is no."

[imeanforever]

"Nobody else here can order me, just you. Unless they can reasonably claim the food you give me, so if you could avoid getting it from particularly nearby that would be good." She gets up. "Let's go get my gate closed."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Okay." She opens the door again, having closed it after not-Frederick left. She remembers the way from three weeks ago. "I didn't think they could make you, but sometimes people who've been through shit like that find it...unpleasant even to be asked, so."

[imeanforever]

"I don't think that's specifically a problem I have."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Well, if you did I would tell people off for you. ...I'm going to have to ask my mom to send a care package if the food needs to come from not nearby, is there anything in particular I should ask for?"

[imeanforever]

"Fruits, nuts, vegetables."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Any particular flavor preferences? More or less sweet? More or less savory?"

[imeanforever]

"Some of both. I'm not picky."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Okay."
She has to fend off a couple of people on the way to the gate, and literally clamp her hand over one guy's mouth who tries to introduce himself to Promise.

[imeanforever]

For which Promise is grateful.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

But eventually they do get there without accidentally envassaling anyone.

[imeanforever]

And Promise closes her gate, then says, "Done."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"So those goons can't get at you. You said they were Thorn's vassals, who's Thorn? Is that the guy who had you before Yellow?"

[imeanforever]

"Yes."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"...I still agree with you that going after him at the time would have been a terrible idea, but I do have friends who are magic users."

[imeanforever]

"What kind of magic? If it's different enough..."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"I think it's pretty different. I can ask Overbite's brother to come down, he's a magic user. And a huge nerd. You two can compare magic systems."

[imeanforever]

"That sounds fun. And maybe if it's different enough it could get around Thorn's sorcerers."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"That was my thought too. I think Jawbreaker knows a little, he's not anywhere near as good as--ooh I'm going to have to come up with something to call him, if I try to keep saying 'Overbite's Brother' I'm going to slip--anyway he's not as good, he pretty much couldn't be, but it's probably enough to tell if they're very different or not."

[imeanforever]

"Underbite," suggests Promise.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"That would be...pretty insulting actually. Oh, Overbite and her brother are vampires. 'Overbite' is a reference to her fangs, but vampires only have top fangs and not also bottom ones like some animals do, so calling him 'Underbite' would imply that his fangs were so small even his humanish lower canines were larger than his fangs."

[imeanforever]

"Oh. Not that then, I suppose. Usually fairies pick our own nicknames, you could ask him what he wants to be called."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Yeah. I'll email him when we get back to my room. And then I'll go fetch Jawbreaker."

[imeanforever]

"Does Jawbreaker actually break jaws?"