strangetrip | GP: April Fools!

It didn't take any sort of precognitive abilities to predict some kind of shenanigans on the first of April. Many of the people stuck in the bubble world of the Madonna Inn were from times and places where April Fools' Day pranks were normal, expected... (in many cases) minor annoyances. And then there were the residents who remembered the strange egg hunt from a year ago, and the sometimes confusing explanations of the two holidays falling on the same day and how that related.

Also, life at the inn could be interminable. After a while, people started hoping for some kind of strangeness to happen, just to break up the monotony of being trapped in a kitschy no-snow globe.

So, no. You didn't have to be a mutant fortune teller to expect some kind of joke being pulled. But Emma was, and even she had no idea what was coming, other than it was going to be frustrating and topsy-turny, and the visions she'd been getting from the tarot – and way more reversals than was usual or healthy in her experience – were even less clear than usual.

She definitely didn't foresee waking up without the powers that were as much a part of her as her heart. Or just as suddenly having powers she had no idea how to control. But she did, and she had*, and she was far from the only one. The same thing was happening to people all around the inn.

(*Not to worry. The singe marks should be gone in a day or so. Right?)

[Powers swap GP! Tag in. Tag around. It's a time for out and about at the inn coping (or not) with powers gained (or lost).]

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Corbie hesitated a moment, not because she didn't want to touch him but because she was thinking about taking his hand anyway. But if Mildmay was worried he might hurt her, she'd take that seriously. She looped her hand into his elbow and let him help her up.

Mildmay was something of a worrier. But better safe than sorry, and he wasn't gonna risk hurting Corbie if he could help it.

He helped her up and started without more explanation toward the temple, hopefully without the ghosts or anybody else seeing her like this. He wasn't sure whether it'd keep the ghosts out or not, but even if it didn't, being close to her Lady might help somehow. Least he hoped so. It made sense to him anyways. Catching sight of something outta the corner of his eye, Mildmay looked back over his shoulder and saw – what the fucking fuck? – Corbie still huddled in her corner, even though he could feel her there at his side, hand curled around his arm.

"Corbie?" he asked, the low whisper even the youngest kept-thieves learned that wouldn't carry further than the one they were talking to.

Taking the cue, Corbie didn't respond aloud, looking back as well without a sound.

When she saw herself there--was that what she looked liked?--she went pale. It was hard enough meeting her other self at Christmas when she seemed so calm and self-assured. This...

"Let's go," she whispered back. She was going to lose her shit if that other self looked up and met her eyes.

"Yeah." To the temple. Don't pay too much mind to how he could feel something in the back of his head connecting him to that other Corbie they left behind. Mildmay was doing a lot of ignoring of weird shit today. But he didn't know what else to do about it.

The connection seemed to fade the further they got from it, although Mildmay couldn't say when exactly he stopped feeling it. Way before they got to the temple anyway. Once they were inside the cool, quiet space, he felt like maybe he could breathe a little easier.

"Oh..." Why hadn't Corbie thought of this? They had taken advantage of this during the invasion last summer to protect everyone from that army of dead things, but in her own hour of need she hadn't thought of coming here at all. She dared a look behind her and, catching sight of no unfamiliar faces, she let out a sob of relief. "Thank you."

Corbie had more sense than most wizards put together, but that didn't mean much when a whole host of ghosts was ganging up on her begging for her attention. Mildmay wouldn'ta expected her to think of the temple right off. And he was gonna tell that, or ask if she was okay, but what came out instead of "You got wings."

Way to go, Milly-fox. Next you'll be noticing her hair is blonde.

"Oh..." Corbie had actually managed to forget them for a while, and she looked over her shoulder at the colorful feathers. "Yeah. Fuck if I know why." She still couldn't get them to move the way she wanted and when she wanted. Sure they were part of her body, but babies didn't come out knowing how to walk and they had legs.

Mildmay spared a glance to where Kethe's alcove could be found if you knew when and how to look, but there wasn't nothing there to see right then.

"Some practical joke," he muttered, and Corbie maybe the only one here who'd be able to pick out the words. "Trickster shit."

Corbie normally might have noticed the glance, but quite frankly she felt too wrung out to see the little things.

But she did hear him. "Ain't funny."

"Nope." Wasn't nothing funny about any of this.

"You still got your magic?" Probably not, from what he'd been hearing about others, but if she did... maybe it'd be a help somehow.

Tears stung at the corners of Corbie's eyes, and she didn't quite have the resolve to blink them away. She shook her head.

Nothing he could say to that, but not like with Felix, Corbie he could pull into a hug, careful of the wings and ready to pull back if he went cold.

Then quiet, "I think I do." That wasn't quite right, though, was it, Mildmay? "Not like yours. But some kinda magic. I c'n feel it."

Corbie wanted so much to apologize to Felix over all manner of things, but in that moment what she focused on was settling into Mildmay's embrace. Even if he was cooler than usual, she took comfort from the familiar strength of his arms. "That's gotta be awful weird," she murmured back.

"Fuck yeah. I ain't the hocus." And ain't never wanted to be.

"Reckon Felix'd be spitting nails if he knew?" he wondered aloud, since it was Corbie, and she understood better'n anybody.

Felix could spit nails at and about more things than people gave his temper credit for, but to be fair Corbie asked, "'Bout which part?"

Mildmay shrugged one shoulder. All of it sounded about right. "Me havin' magic. You losin' yours. Nobody havin' a clue what they're doing with everything all shuffled around like hands of Long Tiffany."

"Maybe, yes, and lumme yes," Corbie answered. Really, overall the answer was yes, but it was to varying degrees. "Though that last one prolly mostly 'cause he wouldn't know how to step." Nothing threw Felix off like not knowing how to work a room exactly the way he intended to. And for the first time in hours, Corbie felt herself smiling.

A nod took the place of a smile Mildmay wouldn't give as he agreed with her. Coming in here'd been a good idea. Gave Corbie some breathing room from all the ghosts.

"You wanna visit your Lady a while?" She could if she wanted. And if she wanted Mildmay to come with, it wasn't the first time he'd gone to church with her. But if she didn't, that was okay too. For either part of it. She could just hide out here away from the ghosts.

Corbie nodded. Chewed her lip, and the figured it didn't hurt to ask, "Stay with me a little longer?"

"Long as you want." It was a easy promise, one he didn't have to think about. Wasn't nothing here more important to him than Corbie.

GP: April Fools!

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