Day of the Witches

Serila grabbed one of the candies and popped it into her mouth. "My, this sure is pretty good, Dot." She said smiling. "What was that invention down in the basement? Is the one that blew up the other day?"

Camli pulled off one of her gloves to pick one of the yellow dots that Dot made with this machine before she found the pineapple taste to her liking. Instead of biting it down, she kept it on her mouth to let the flavor continue to decorate her tongue. In the meanwhile, her eyes looked over the frutti tutti machine and tried to figure how it worked. It was after 15 seconds that she decided to call quits unless she can see the innards. Dot not quite knowing herself didn't help the matter.

"Oh, that? That's just a fancy furnace. Keeps heat going, mostly. I've been working with it to try and make it work the opposite way, too, but that's kind of at a dead end right now. But I'm still working on it!"

Even though Dot was enjoying having someone to talk to about her creations, she was still dodging a question with it. One that she was accutely aware of. All of this was just a way to avoid thinking about it, but she couldn't avoid it any more.

She wants to teach you magic. You know what happens to people who teach you magic, right? Big, explode-y things. Hell, you almost had a really big, explode-y thing happen because of her when you met! And yet...she seems like she still wants to try again.

Dot put a hand to her chest as she looked down, clearly wrestling with the topic. Her fist clenched as she looked up at the fellow witch with determination.

"S-Serila...I want you to...try to teach me again!"

Serila was about to decline her request but the girl seemed so determined that she couldn't help it. "Dot..."

She reminds me to her... She just reminds me to her...

After a couple of seconds to meditate, Serila looked at Dot. "If that is what you wish, Dot, I'll do it. We'll take it slow and for as long as you need."

Dot was on a roll right now, and she wasn't going to stop before getting it all out there. If Serila was going to give it the shot that Dot wanted, then she deserved to at least hear what's on her mind with all of this.

"I mean, I won't lie...I'm kinda freaked out a little. Nervous that things are just gonna, you know, blow up again. But...you were so sure that it was something I could do. And, you've been so nice about the whole thing! A lot nicer than most people that tried...so, I have to at least try my hardest, too!"

Even through her own worry, Dot was beaming. Maybe at the thought of having someone that wants to help her? In her mind, some part of her knew it would probably end the way it normally was, but she was ignoring that part for now and thinking positive. Maybe it was all mental! And she wasn't in the best of mindsets back then, anyway. Right now, Dot was on an emotional high, and was hoping such a thing would be what she needed.

"Cmon! I know the perfect spot for it! I...sometimes test things out there. It's out of the way of the village, so there shouldn't be any problems. They didn't seem to notice the booms before. I'll show you!"

Full of energy and confidence, Dot bolted out of the room, gathering up her familiars in a flash before running out of the house, waiting for the two witches to catch up to her outside the house.

"Chatty?" Calling up her partner, Serila walked after Dot, following her to the spot the young girl picked for the teaching.

"Well looks like she is in a hog killin' time. Best we get a wiggle on 'fore we start wearing coats of her dust." Camli chuckled as she munched down the rest of the candy in her mouth before she followed the other two to the clearing. Looks like something exciting is going to happen and it ain't gonna be quiet for a long time.

Dot was outside, waiting for her two friends, waving. Something about having people to talk with that understood her was enough to keep her mind off of how this kind of thing had gone before. If it were any other circumstance, she'd be terrified of having to do real magic again. Some part of her is, but she was also resolved to do this. Something about Serila seemed like she really believed that Dot was capable of this. It was enough that if she didn't at least try, she'd be calling herself a coward for the next few months.

Once the group had gathered outside Dot's home, she took point and led them onward. She had a spring in her step as she went, trying not to (and failing to) not think about the worst case scenarios. The town was rather quiet today, as she went, with Dot waving at the few people that were out, and a few waving back. She seemed popular with the kids, at the least, who were likely enamoured by whatever new thing she was working on.

Dot led her intrepid group a little ways out of town, into the nearby forest. It wasn't all that thick, but it was enough to get the job down. A few minutes passed before the group found themselves at a rather open clearing, the sunlight unimpeded by the trees around them. It was a near perfect circle, a little ways into the forest, clear of trees. And clearly, from the scorch marks on the ground and nearby trees, it was an area that Dot had not only been to before, but had made herself at home in.

"This is the place! It's nice and out of the way, and if things blow up out here, oh well!" She had her arms out, spinning and taking in the fresh air. "I try not to test new things in the village, because, really, who knows what'll happen sometimes? Last thing I want is to end up hurting someone, besides myself, at least. I can live with that!"

The area was clear enough and far enough from the town for them to be able to practice, Serila looked around, she noticed the marks on the trees and could see how hard Dot tried in here. "This places should be good enough indeed." She noticed the girl's remark of avoiding to hurt someone and smiled, placing her hand on her shoulder. "That's the spirit, now, shall we begin?"

Camli had chosen a spot that is far enough from the two that she wouldn't inadvertently interfere but close enough to keep an eye out on them. She wasn't expecting any major problem with Serila leading the lessons and trusted her classmate and friend to handle any potential dilemma. Even then, she kept on eye out if something did and her visibility lets Serila know, she was there to lend a hand.

The clearing was a location that Dot knew like the back of her hand. She'd come here countless times for testing. If you asked her, she could probably name what each and every crated and scorch mark came from. It most likely looked like the remnants of a war zone, to anyone who didn't know any better. But the two witches could likely see just how at peace she was out here. It was enough to at least momentarily distract her from the thought that she might be practicing actual magic out here. Normally it was just inventions, but every now and then she'd try to replicate the lessons she had done back at the Academy, with each of them going about as well as they used to.

"A-Alright...where do we start?" The realization was starting to hit her, just a little, but she was doing everything she could mentally to push that feeling down and try to stay positive. Serila was here! And Camli, too. Maybe things will be different! That's what she told herself, at least. It's all she could do, right now.

"Let's start with something basic..." Serila started. "As you know there are four base elements: earth, fire, water and wind. Some mages are capable to adapt to the four of them, others just focus on one..." Serila looked around, noticing the scorch marks on the ground. "By what I can see... You might have affinity with fire, I might be wrong but we could start with that." Placing Chatty on the ground next to her, Serila started to focus her magic on the palm of her hand. "The most basic thing you can do with fire magic..." Soon a flame appeared on her hand. "You must know the right pattern and control the amount of mana you are going to use, if you use too little nothing will happen and if you use too much you might get hurt."

Serila's words were definitely sounding pretty familiar to Dot. Just listening to her brought back memories from the Academy, and the professors. Some of them honestly gave her a chance, before they gave up. Some got upset when Dot couldn't do the things they described. Some were flabbergasted by how things never seemed to work. One broke down in tears, stumped beyond belief. That one always hurt Dot the most.

She knew enough about Serila to know she had an affinity for Fire. And sure enough, simply summoning a flame and keeping it going seemed like it came second nature to her.

"The right patterns, huh...?" Dot thought a moment, before moving her palm in front of her, determined to try to make at least something happen. Dot could recite half of those textbooks by heart, with how hard she studied them. She knew what she was supposed to do in this scenario. And, Serila and Camli were seasoned, powerful witches. Things were different now! Right?

Dot kept her breathing steady as she directed her mana where she wanted, trying to form a simple flame on her palm. She could feel it move through her, trying to reach the single spot. And then...nothing. Just like always, it felt like it was right there, but nothing ever seemed to happen. In the back of her mind, she could practically hear the other students heckling her, as they always did, but she was trying her damndest to push that down and focus.

The only thing she could do at this point was try to force it, like she always did. She focused more, pushing more and more mana at that one spot, feeling it build up in a single spot, and straining herself a little. Small sparks started to come from that spot as she tried, so hard, to produce something, anything at this point.

Serila noticed the efforts of Dot, those sparks were a sign of using too much mana, the young witch wasn't focusing enough and was pouring too much mana into her spell. "Careful Dot, you are using too much mana. Relax, breathe and take your time." She said with a smile on her face.

Dot was pushing herself, there was no doubt about that. She was trying to force out her own magic, with it feeling like she had a cork over her own capabilities that she just couldn't remove. She was sweating, breathing heavily, and at this point her own memories were starting to get the better of her.

Serlia's voice cut through the effort like a knife, getting her to stop instantly. Something about her was calming, enough to draw her out of her own fear and nervousness. Her breathing slowed a little as she kept trying, focusing as hard as she could to get something out.

The exchange felt like hours to Dot, as each second ticked by in her head when it was only a few minutes at most. She put everything she had into it, and then some, and still nothing.

"It...it won't come out..." Dot's breathing was regular, she knew the method, and even understood how Mana should work. So why? Why was she always stuck at this point? Her voice sounded almost defeated, even as she still continued pushing, slowly.

"Calm down, Dot. I'm not giving up on you, okay? Let's try again." Serila walked next to Dot and guided her hand. "Follow my pattern, okay? And don't worry, we have all the time you need."

Dot let Serlia guide her movements, hoping the elder witch might be able to fix her problem. Being this close, Serila might be able to notice just how her mana was behaving, and how everything should be working for Dot, and yet isn't. Everything should be fine, and yet here they were anyway.

There was some part of Dot that wanted to suceed so she wouldn't see Serila sad again. Something had to be different this time. It had to. That's what she was clinging to. Hoping for.

The mana continued to build around her palm, as if it was being blocked off. The sparks still came, even when she wasn't forcing the flow of mana. It even made her hand start to tingle a little, and then even hurt. And then, after what felt like an eternity...

A small, tiny flame flickered to life on her palm. It was much smaller than Serila's, but the most striking thing about it was the deep pink it was colored with. It also seemed to swish in her hand, as if it was blown by an invisible wind. Even though Dot should have be estatic with the result, she instead looked troubled, and concerned, and it was painted all over her face, alongside the exhaustion.

Serila noticed the flame and a smile appeared on her lips. "You did it Dot, congra..." It was then she noticed the expression of the girl. "Dot, are you alright?" Soon the smile turned into a look of concern for the girl.

Dot's eyes were trained on the small flame, her mind running through every scenario that she had been through. There was one thing that always stuck out whenever she tried using real magic. A constant, that always seemed to ruin what was at first glance a victory.

"Pink...is bad..." Dot's words were in a whisper, as if all of the gears in her brain had just put together the truth of it all. The little ball of flame pulsed as if in response to her sudden dread. This wasn't a victory. No, this was familiar.

"Oh no..." Her voiced raised, sounding resigned, almost, as she put some distance between herself and Serlia, looking for somewhere to place the glowing, pulsing ball of fire that seemed to pulse faster by the second. Nowhere was free, or at least away from the two witches. The only thing on her mind was a simple sentence: Looks like you did it again, Dot.

She spun around to face the two witches, flaming orb in hand. She had a look that was both sad...and tired. "Well...looks like that didn't work." She chuckled weakly. "You might wanna stand back."

Dot's urgency was enough for the maverick witch to get off of the tree she was leaning on as she watch the miniature pink fireball. Several things ticked into her mind, Dot's dread and depression of the pink sign, warning the two they should stand back, Dot's reputation. Her gaze moved to the various scorched marks around the trees. It didn't take long to realized what was going to happen. Surprisingly she seemed nonchalant about a possible results going off as she leisurely stepped back.

"Oh Jiminy. Ya lit a powder keg in your spell or somethin'?"

Despite Dot's words, Serila decided to stand by her side. "I'm not leaving, whatever the outcome is, we'll go through it together." She kept holding Dot's hand, not giving up on the young girl.

Dot chuckled to herself at her comment. That was probably the first time she actually was able to instantly parse what Camli was saying. "Something like that, yeah."

She was caught off guard by Serila rushing to her side, though, almost nearly dropping the flickering pink ball of flame. "Well, uh...I don't think I really need to tell you what's gonna happen with this, do I?" Dot tried to put a smile on her face, but it came off looking forced, before she looked down at the magical fireball. She signed, heavy, and familiar.

"I messed up again. The second I let go of this thing, it's, uh...probably gonna blow. Sometimes these things blow up randomly, before they even got formed. I was kinda worried I was gonna cause another one when sparks were coming out! But...this feels worse. Like I got it, but I didn't at all."

She took a moment to stare at the created object. Part of her hated it. It was everything she continually tried and failed at, objectified. And yet...it was the only thing she could seem to make. Something that was destined to just blow up. It didn't seem to matter whether it was magic, or inventions.

"That's why I said to stand back. I'm kinda used to these things! Remember when we met? This one will probably be a good bit bigger then that one, but, well..." She looked up at Serila, almost pleading. "If I ended up hurting you or Camli with one of these things, I'd never forgive myself! So...please. Let me have this much."

Serila patted Dot's head. "I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone, Dot, I told you, we go through this together." Serila smiled as she kept the young girl closer to her.

Dot was no stranger to explosions. Whether it was from her inventions, or from her failed magic, generally, she had lived through quite a few. Even when they met, it was because of one going off that she was pretty close to. She had basically walked that one off, even if she was a little shaky, but she didn't think she'd get to do that for this one. But, she had a plan.

"Okay, so, if I let this thing go, it's gonna blow up, right? So, I'm thinking...if I time it, just right, I can just throw this thing into the air, and have it blow up above us! That way, no one gets hurt! At least, in theory, anyway. So, if you really wanna help, I want you to help me hurl this thing as far skyward as we possibly can! Okay?"

With Serlia's hands in hers she readied herself with a few up and down motions of her arms. "One...Two...and...!"

Serila nodded and waited for Dot's signal. "One... Two... Three!" At the count of three, both of them hurled the flame into the sky, Serila used some of her magic to make it go faster into the sky with the hope of avoiding any harm coming to Dot more than to herself.