video ][ forward-dated to the first, post-feast

[wilee]

[ immediately post-feast, yes, because that's the responsible thing to do. the whole scenting thing is still a work in progress, but she hasn't smelled anything even remotely familiar since she got here, nothing she wants to put much thought into at least. not yet. because hey, maybe she didn't smell her not-dad during that big feast. it's possible she just smelled some- burnt turkey! yeah. same thing, really! ( yeah, wow, she's bad at making up excuses, even to herself. Peter Hale does not smell like burnt turkey. ) but anyway, now she's fussing with the locket, because it doesn't matter how out of touch she was with technology a few months ago, she can tell when something ( the locket, in this case ) is trying to get her attention like a cellphone would. and then she sees there's messages on there.

good. good start.

if she can't sniff out where she is ( since that map makes no sense to her ), she'll just- ask. it takes her a second to realize the video is recording, but then she notices it's recording and aha! here! have a smile that's kinda like this. ]

So, thanks for the big dinner and all, that was great. Really. Wow. So good. [ is she being sincere enough? no? she's kinda trying! though it's a wonder her face isn't covered in grease and gravy, okay. so charming, this one. but yeahno, she remembered to wipe her face with a napkin after eating, tyvm. progress! ] But I need to get back home now.

So which way is Beacon Hills?

[ and now she'll make a quick shifty-eye ]

-- And where can I find one of those boxes with the lids you can keep food in for later? Just wondering.

Comments

[wilee]

Well then, you should tell me where this dwarf city is so I can meet you, and your friends, there.

[ like it's that easy ]

[teenyoda]

Yeah, it's not that easy. I had to come here by boat and it took weeks and the Unseelie castle is like, a month or two away from the Seelie castle as far as traveling by horse. Which I'm not doing. Ever.

Look, I have a room at the Seelie castle. Why don't you just, um... meet me there? I'm going to talk to the people here about leaving early.

[wilee]

[ more staring ]

You're making it sound like this is normal. This is not normal.

[ she's not freaking out but she's freaking out. in a Malia way. ]

How can you be somewhere that's weeks away? Why is Peter an alpha? Why do people live in castles here? How am I supposed to save leftovers if there aren't any plastic containers to keep them in?

[ HARD HITTING QUESTIONS ]

[teenyoda]

It sort of is. For me, anyway. Or... for people who've been here a while. Like I have. Only--

Look, it's really complicated in terms of time-lines and stuff. Just know I've been here for a while and so's Peter and they magically gave him his Alphaness back just like they magically made me able to do magic. Castles are just what's here. We all seem to have rooms in them. Leftovers... really, Malia?

[It's that last bit that has him both grinning and facepalming.]

Just grab what you want and take it. Ask for a bag. I don't know. There hasn't really been a food shortage here. You should have a room there, but, um... I'd like you to maybe, if you're okay with it, go to mine. In the other castle. Which is a bit of a trek, I know, but... there's fairy rings to make it easier?

[wilee]

[ whuh whuh whuh wait wait wait ]



You can do magic?

[teenyoda]

Yep. Call me the Red Wizard.

No, don't call me that. Call me Stiles.

[No, call him the Red Wizard. Or Stiles the Magnificent. Or something cool.]

Yeah, they sort of... do stuff here. Change you. Hell, they could probably turn me into a weresomething if I asked for it.

[He's not going to ask for it, Malia.]

[wilee]

[ she's already shaking her head 'no' before he corrects himself there yep ]

So could I.

[ that's not meant to be clever.

but then she realizes it's kind of clever.

and she grins. not in a devious way, just a "so what?" way ]

[teenyoda]

So could you what?

[He's not getting it, Malia. You're being cheeky and he's still recovering from the shock of being back here and you being here and... and... stop messing with your boyfran.]

[wilee]

Nothing. It was a joke.

[ an accidental joke. ]

Tell me more about the war. I'm not leaving the castle until I know I can do it without getting shot at.

[teenyoda]

Well, good news there. They don't have guns. Nothing with any sort of technology works outside of the Station. So, um, might be an arrow over a gun. I don't think we're at the shoot first ask the dead body questions later stage, but there's factions all over the land right now and I have no idea how they know who's who.

[wilee]

[ a beat ]

Okay, so how do I act like a Seelie instead of an Unseelie? What's the difference?

[teenyoda]

Ah... don't be evil? I don't know. It's... crap. I don't think it's really so cut and dry.

[wilee]

Um.

[teenyoda]

Don't look at me like that. I didn't make the rules.

[wilee]

You just told me not to be evil. Am I evil now? Is that what Unseelie means?

[ normally, Malia's so not the type to get hung up on something. but. maybe after seeing Peter turn against them all and try to kill Scott for his power, she's a little sensitive about the whole... evil running in the family, thing. ]

[teenyoda]

I don't really know. All I know is that they've come over to try to invade our castle a few times and they've attacked Seelie forces. So, I'm putting them as the big bad aggressor types and Peter being over there doesn't really fill me with warm fuzzies.

And before you even start, no, you're not evil. I told you that. They screwed up.

[wilee]

Somebody must think I am. You're just saying I'm not because you're- you.

[ hn ]

[teenyoda]

No. Look, I've talked to some people from there who weren't... completely terrible. I don't really know if it's good vs bad or anything. I think they have different, um... standards. Or it could be the shard you've got. I don't know, Malia, but it's not because you're evil.

[wilee]

[ someone's super zeroed in on the fact that she got split up from Stiles to be on her not-dad's side. guess who that someone is. ]

Just- tell me how to get to where you are. Or where you can meet me.

[ she's pulling up her map on her locket now, the screen next to the video of Stiles. what a weird phonelocketthing. ]

I'm looking at a map, but I don't know what anything is, so it's useless to me.

[teenyoda]

Okay, I'm over in the mountains to the west. Well, not in the mountai-- never mind. I'm over there. I can make it to a fairy ring in about a day or two, maybe three, depending on how fast my carpet flies, and then I just need to pick what ring to go to. You can probably make it to the Scima ring in a day or two, so you can either hop through to the Glaem one and wait there, safely, or I can try to grab you from the Scima one.

We'll have to talk through the whole trip, of course.

[Of course. Because like he was going to let her run around in a strange land without him.]

[wilee]

[ she's listening, she is, but- ]

Your carpet? I don't get it.

[ nopenope, more shaking her head. she's still looking at the map instead of the camera, following between the different marked fairy rings with her finger ]

Do we? We could probably get wherever we wanna meet faster if we're not busy calling each other all the time.

[teenyoda]

It's part of the whole magic thing. I have a carpet that flies. Like that movie.

[That shall remain nameless on the off chance someone happens to pop into Drabwurld.]

You have no idea what's out there, Malia. It's not just bunnies and deer and bears. There's trolls and giants and things with teeth bigger than you are.

[wilee]

Oh. Right. Of course you do.

[ when they're not video chatting she's going to make him pay for throwing all of this at her at once. but right, later. in person. whenever that will be. ]

Well, how do the fairy rings work? It doesn't look like there's much distance at all between the rings and each castle.

Although I don't see how trolls could be any worse than berserkers.

[teenyoda]

You go up to the ring and say the name of the ring you want to show up at and then you step into it. Or you step into it and say the name. I... haven't exactly used them yet. I'll figure that out.

You realize I haven't traveled everywhere yet, right? I mean, I've only been here six months.

[SIX MONTHS, MALIA. WITH NO LUVIN'S.]

How about dragons. You see how they might be worse than berserkers?

[wilee]

[ but you're supposed to have all the answers!! ]

Six months? Stiles.

[ that makes no sense. six months was before- everything. everything. ]

No. I mean, yes. If there's really dragons.

This is crazy, how does anyone handle showing up here?