shamelesshookery | DID SOMEONE SAY STUPID AU O'CLOCK

Spooks? It makes them scared?

[ she tilts her head at him as she says this, looking more puzzled by the idea than anything and then continues, without a single trace of irony whatsoever; ]

Why? What's scary in the forest?

[you sweet summer child. thinking over how to reply]

...Well, if you don't know how to find water, the thought of running out can be scary. And if you don't know which plants are good to eat and which ones will make you sick, that's scary, too. It's easy to get lost if you don't know how to keep track of where you're going, and if that happens it's hard for people to find you. So there's that, and then depending on how deep you go, there are critters, too. Most of 'em won't bother people unless they're sick or hungry, but that happens just often enough that people get nervous, y'see?

[ mulling it over... ]

So the forest isn't scary, but bad stuff happening in the forest is?

[ she nods, more to herself than anything. ]

It's like witches. People aren't scared of witches, they're scared of bad stuff witches do.

[raising both eyebrows, but—]

Yeah, it's exactly like that. Witches can do both good and bad things, too— but people remember the bad stuff more, so...

[shrugging]

It's like that with a lot of things.

[like werewolves. seriously, you get a few choice dickheads and that means the rest of them are assholes, too? humans.]

Yeah! They just remember the bad stuff and then they think all the stuff you do is bad, just 'cause other witches do bad stuff.

[ she frowns as she says this. ]

I don't do bad stuff.

[ and she lets out a little huff of annoyance to punctuate this. ]

... You're a witch?

[ ... oh.

okay, this stranger was very nice and he seemed to understand but that doesn't mean there's no chance of him changing his mind once he hears that and it's quite clear from the look on Krista's face that she's realizing she's said a little too much.

she falls silent and drops her gase to the ground looking worried and a little frightened. ]

[looking her over, frowning...]

Aren't you a little young for that, kidlet? I mean, I guess you do look like the sort of person magic left its grubby fingerprints all over, but I thought that was the sort of thing you had to work your butt off to be any good at.

[ she fidgets a little, both clearly uncomfortable with being looked over and looking oddly resigned to it. ]

... everyone says so. I don't know how to do magic yet, but the people at home say I can.

[ she absently kicks a clump of dirt as they walk, her voice going a little flat. ]

They said not to.

[at least it's not any different from the friendly, slightly curious way he was looking at her before]

They do, huh... Hmm.

...Lemme tell you something. Other people can try to tell you what you are and what you aren't 'till they're blue in the face. That still doesn't mean they're right.

Huh...?

[ her discomfort finally makes way for confusion and she furrows her brow at him, like she's trying to work out just what he means. ]

... I don't get it.

How am I supposed to know if I'm a witch or not unless someone tells me? Is that what you mean?

I mean you're the one who gets to decide whether you're a witch or not. Not them.

... I do?

[ she looks

utterly baffled by this ]

What if I decide no and they keep saying I am, though?

Then you can tell 'em they're wrong, or ignore it. Whichever you want. If you say you're not, then they're wrong no matter how many times they say it, and it isn't your job to make them figure that out unless you want it to be.

... yeah!

[ she looks faintly pleased by this and gives him a little smile. ]

I'll say they're wrong. And if they keep saying, I'll ignore them.

[ there's a pause, though. ]

... it's not bad, is it? Being a witch.

Nah. It's like being any other kind of person, yeah? There are good ones, and bad ones, and which one you are is more about what you do with it than anything else.

... so it's not bad if I am a witch.

[ she kicks another rock in the path, dropping her gaze. ]

I really look magic?

Little bit! The way I heard it, magic's sort of... it's a show off, yeah? It wants people to know it's there. So if there's a lot of it in a person, it makes them stand out from everyone else.

...'Course, I'm not a witch myself, so I dunno if that's actually true or just another one of those things that gets said so much everyone thinks it is.

Hmm...

[ she turns his words over in her mind, trying to work out if they ring true or not. She'd never consciously made anything happen, had she? Witches were supposed to be able to do all kinds of things, but she'd never been able to do that. ]

You don't look like a witch, anyway... maybe no one knows.

[trying not to laugh. the mental image of him as a witch...]

No one except the witches, anyway.

So if you wanted to find out, you'd have to ask a real witch, right?

[ because you're clearly the expert here, Kai ]

A real witch or someone who was taught by 'em, yeah.

[ thinking this over...

and then frowning up at him ]

Do you know any real witches?

Nah. My da probably would, though.

Really?

[ that gets her to perk up visibly, her eyes alight with interest. ]

Why would he know witches?

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this icon is a little too surprised sldkfsj WHATEVER

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