Charm ☼ 004 [video]

[hexywitch]

[Lily's set herself up in the library in her house. There's a cauldron in front of her, a small flame flickering beneath it. She stirs the pot three times clockwise, and then four counterclockwise.]

Hello, Vatheon. There are quite a few new people floating about again, so I thought this was a perfect time to post. I'm Lily. As you can see I've been doing a bit of potion brewing. I finally made it down to the Nostalgia Nook, and the shop from my world is absolutely brilliant.

[She pauses to check her potions book and adds an ingredient, tapping the cauldron twice with her wand. Potions is very complicated and delicate.]

I stocked up on ingredients, so after I brewed a few potions for friends of mine, I thought I'd brew a few other useful ones. First of all a big batch of Pepper-Up. [She gestures to the cauldron.] That'll be a cure for the common cold. And hangovers. So if anyone's feeling a bit under the weather, let me know.

That said, [She turns the heat under the cauldron down.] Equius. Sollux. I'm ready when you are.

Comments

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[shounenphelps.livejournal.com]

He's...

[Yeah, he tries to let that settle. That's a little weirder than people living thousands of years or hiding an entire civilization beyond illusionary trees.]

I can only hope there's some greater purpose to... to doing that, to you all and him as well.

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

[Totally missed the point.]

If someone went around shooting my friends, you can be damn sure I'd shoot them back!

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

Who knows what the purpose of this place is?

[She shrugs.]

I asked. I wanted to know.

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

...yes, and that's what I'm saying. He has friends too. Don't you think they'd want to shoot you for shooting their friend?

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, I guess, but I'm a better shot anyway so I'd definitely get them first!

[Jovial all the while. He's not giving up, Lily.]

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

[Lily frowns.]

You have absolutely no sense of empathy, do you?

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

Empathy...?

[It's there, somewhere. But mostly for the people he cares about. :( ]

I can't read anyone's mind or anything, if that's what you're asking.

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

[Oh look, it's a Gryffindor speech.]

No...it just means that you understand what other people are feeling. That you consider their perspective and understand why they do what they do. Everyone is someone's son or daughter. Maybe someone's mother or father. Best friend. They may just be an annoyance in your life, but to others, they may be the world. It's not just one life you affect. You stop his heart and you break the hearts of his family and friends.

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

[Excellent speech! Countered with...specialness?]

Stop his heart...

You mean like his clock? I wouldn't break the clocks, not after the last time...I mean...

So long as the clock is intact someone else can use it, right?

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

...I meant when you kill someone.

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

Isn't it the same thing?

When someone can't use the clock anymore, then it's given to someone else.

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

...what?

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

...you don't have a clock, do you?

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

...I suppose not, as I haven't any clue as to what you're talking about.

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

That's how we live back home, everyone's got a clock that keeps them alive. You've got to make sure to keep them safe...

[selfless-stag.livejournal.com]

[He shook his head.] Nope. But if it's important to you, it's important to me. And I'm trying to understand.

[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

All right. So...while we've only got one romantic relationship, they've got this complicated system of four. They call them quadrants, and each is associated with one of the four suits of cards. Two red romances, based on pity, and two black romances, based on hate. Here's a brief rundown of each.
Matespiritship. The flushed quadrant. This one is the one most like our romantic relationships. If we were trolls, you'd be my matespirit.
Moirallegiance. The pale quadrant. This one...it reminds me of your relationship with Remus a bit. The way Remus is the voice of reason and the way you became an animagus for him. It's about two trolls looking after one another, keeping each other out of trouble, that kind of thing. So I think that Remus would be your Moirail.
Auspisticism. This is where one troll acts as mediator for two other trolls. Hate is a huge part of their emotional spectrum and apparently a lot of them end up killing one another for one thing or another. So an auspisctice keeps two trolls who hate one another from killing each other. Or from having hatesex, because that is also a thing. Which brings us to the last one.
♠ Kismesissitude. Two trolls who hate one another more than anything in the world relish that hatred and form a relationship. They don't want to kill the other troll because then they wouldn't have that object of such hatred anymore. And apparently there's a sexual component. Which is very strange to me. But that's just how they work, I suppose.

Does any of that make sense to you?

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

How...odd. A clock. Why?

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

[Just a shrug of his shoulders.]

I don't know, it's just always been that way.

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[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of such a thing.

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[srslynotarabbit.livejournal.com]

Well...

[A frown as he thought to himself.]

Now you have!

[selfless-stag.livejournal.com]

[James nodded slowly but his face showed he was lying. He wanted to understand but it was very complicated. He closed his eyes to try to make it make more sense but failed.]

[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

[Lily laughed and then sighed. Why did troll romance have to be so complicated?]

Well anyway. The point is that two of the trolls, Equius and Sollux, hate one another, and it's officially my job to keep them from killing one another. Kind of like I do with you and Severus.

[selfless-stag.livejournal.com]

[James laughed at the comparison.] Why didn't you just say that in the first place?

[hexywitch.livejournal.com]

Because it's more important than just looking after them. They consider it a romantic relationship. You're not a moron, I thought maybe you could handle it.