thatwaslucky | Batuu- Wednesday

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Batuu- Wednesday

It really had been a while since Rey had been home, and making this trip meant that she had a chance to show Adrian a little corner of where she came from. And sure, there was some post-First Order cleanup work that had to be done because Rey truly did not get vacations, but there was nothing to be done on the last day except get some free time.

After leaving the Falcon and wandering a bit, Rey brought Adrian into Oga's. The cantina was a little loud thanks to the music, but not too busy, with the patrons being about half human and half various alien species. One of those aliens was the Twi'lek waitress, who upon getting to their table, told them their tab had been covered before leaving them with the drink menus.

"Well, there's that, I guess," Rey said, scanning the room in case it was obvious who'd done that.

[NFB and for that guy!]

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Rey laughed. "Oh, I'm never forgetting that."

And then, more seriously, she asked, "You really didn't leave the Blackwood?"

It wasn't like she could talk.

"Only once before coming to the island," Adrian replied. "It's the same reason why you were getting all those weird vibes from my mother and my aunts. I can explain? But it's a long story and not one that's in the same emotional tone as a celebratory dinner..."

"We have plenty of time to celebrate later," Rey said. "I'd rather get to know you."

"Fair enough," he said, and tried to think of where to begin. Forest, there was just...a lot of history. "So, I think I've mentioned to you before that we Blackwoods are the last remaining bastion of human magic in the world...?"

Wait. Had he?

"...I don't think so?"

She had some background on his situation back home, but she was pretty sure that detail had not come up.

He winced. "Okay, so then I can back up even further to give you context on everything? Or we can start with that as a given and go forward."

Her call, since she was the one who would be listening to it all.

"You can start there. If I have questions I'll ask," she replied.

She already figured there were things she could possibly string together with what she did know.

He nodded once. "That works," he said. "Okay, so...honestly, we're surviving mostly by bribery." His voice was frustrated. "Bribery and being too expensive to fight. Our coven invests every bit of magic we get into making sure that any war the Eternal King launches against us will cost him just as dearly. We're also the only producers of potions, magical cosmetics, and other luxury magical goods that are highly prized in the Holy City, which is why we're allowed into the Boston Anchor Market despite being heretics. But while these factors keep Gilgamesh from sending his princes to burn the Blackwood to the ground, they don't protect us when we're outside our forests. For that, we have a complex network of agreements with local officials. The most notable of these agreements is that every boy born in the Blackwood be be apprenticed to the New England warlock cabal."

His face twisted with loathing. An easy guess for what he thought about them.

"And that's what you kept escaping from," she said, reaching for his hand. "That part you told me about."

And honestly it was impressive.

Adrian nodded, relived he'd be spared talking about that six month period. "Over and over again, for six months. But once my mother won the vote and I was allowed to stay, it meant I couldn't leave. Because there was always a warlock or a demon waiting outside our borders, ready to snatch me up and bring me back. In lieu of being able to grab me, they just made life hell for my coven instead."

"Was everyone else trapped because of the people waiting?" Rey asked, hoping 'made life hell' wasn't worse than that.

He waggled his hand. "Not in the same way I was," he said, "but they've been harassing my coven ever since, locking down our borders and taking shots at every witch who steps out of the trees. They can't bother us at the Anchor Market because the denizens of Heaven still demand our crafts, but they can and do make our lives miserable everywhere else."

How did you define that? Sure, they were free to go wherever and whenever they wished, technically, they just had to try not to get shot at or otherwise harassed.

"I'm sorry. It's just..." There were a lot of things she wanted to say about that, she was very close to at least one person who'd been taken like that, and she settled on, "None of it is right. None of it."

"It isn't," Adrian said. "But the whole world is being held hostage by Gilgamesh. It started with atrocities and immorality, and nothing good can grow from a seed that rotten."

"It sounds like the Anchor Market is a concentration of what it's like all over."

And she'd had not been a fan of the Anchor Market.

"Exactly right," he said. "Slaves, warlocks and sorcerers choking on quintessence, and the spectre of Gilgamesh watching over everything."

"The urge to go and try to fix things is very strong," Rey admitted.

"Yeah," Adrian admitted. "But I figure I have to handle the Spider and his cabal before I can start even thinking about Gilgamesh."

And maybe find some really helpful demons or whatever, idk.

"One thing at a time," she nodded. "And you haven't had any trouble on the mainland?"

She didn't worry about Fandom, she knew who his neighbors were.

Adrian shook his head. "Not when I go out to meet Supper Club," he said. "I haven't really tried going by myself, just in case it brings me to the Baltimore of my world."

"I really understand why your mother and aunts reacted that way now," she said.

Like she didn't also have the urge to get super protective.

"I have plans," he said. "When I set up my real Grove. Ideas about how I can lure the Spider out there, fight against him there. And once he's taken care of, my coven will be free and I can go anywhere I want. But--I'm not ready yet. I hate admitting it, but a proper witch knows everything in the right season. If I'm impatient, try to force it, I'll just be hurting myself. So...patience, Adrian."

"That's smart," Rey said slowly, because she never did that and it was good when other people were better than her. "How... Do you fight with magic?"

The benefit of one's magic coming from a forest; you got really good at patience or you just never got good at magic.

"Curses, turning the land against them, traps..." Adrian said. "Allies if I can get them. It's not the flashy explosive magic or armies of enslaved demons, but it's deep."

"This is something I want to ask a hundred questions about," she warned.

Stop being interesting, dammit.

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