Chapter 2 - Orb Post - 1st of Rebirth's Decline

[consultmybooks]

There is an actual candy house.

[The Orb shows Giles, in the bright, sunlight, idyllic version of the Two Faced Forest quite unlike what several of you had to put up with last night. He's settled himself into a sitting position at the base of a tree.

He does not look at all pleased. In fact, he has his head in his hands, and looks quite tired, for a ghost]

There is an actual sodding candy house in this sodding forest. I, I didn't believe it when I heard it. Had to come and see for myself.

[You know it's bad when the normally quite soft spoken former Watcher is reduced to swearing.]

I confess, I waited around a bit just to check that no idiot children were about to come along and, and start snacking. Hung around long enough to see that there was actually a witch living there. At least, um, I assume she's a witch. Didn't stop to chat. [Yet. Give him time. Curiosity will almost certainly get the better of him.] Is that a story anywhere else? The, um, the candy house, and the idiot children who come along to eat it and they get out because the, the witch won't just tidy up the place a bit? Because it is back home.

But, um, that's...not important. Sorry. I know that I'm still frightfully new to this place, and a lot of this, um, really shouldn't be surprising. I'll adjust. I'm good at that, if nothing else.

And, and I know a lot of you are probably sick of hearing this, by now, but...about last night. I was wondering what the rest of you, um, might have seen, a-and what you think about it. Including the business with the thorns not showing up. Do they really block off this forest at night normally? I, I suppose that at least has the benefit of keeping us from, um, spending the nights beating off monsters. I suppose what I'm asking is, um, is if this place normally goes this mad at night, or were we just unfortunate?

Olindra and I came across a hideously large bird, for what it's worth. I'm inclined to call it a roc, but, um, I didn't exactly get a good look.

Comments

[shiromadoushi]

I've heard that story as well. It seems like a lot of things from stories back home are real here.

And I think last night was the first time I haven't seen them show up... and with how everyone reacted to it, I guess this sort of thing is pretty normal for them.

[consultmybooks]

Sorry, um, how do you mean, "normal to them"? I'm still not certain I quite understand what is normal, around here. Especially, um, not after finding this house.

They, they certainly seem to have a certain..."practice", I suppose, at deailng with horrible happenings, though.

[shiromadoushi]

Aaa-- like how they expected it to happen and everything! And it was everyone who expected it too.

And most of what's normal here seems to be things like you'd expect to find in a story book, I think.

[consultmybooks]

I think that's what scares me the most about it, honestly.

Story books, um, b-by and large, tend to, um, not be very nice places.

[shiromadoushi]

It depends on the books, really. In almost all of them, there's always the will for good to win over evil, even if things seem impossible. Even in fairy tales the good are rewarded and the wicked punished, right? So as long as you know what to look out for, it should be all right.

[consultmybooks]

Generally, yes, it, it does come out all right, in the end. For, um, for the protagonists, at least. Side characters can be a bit less fortunate.

And whatever the ending, it's always, um, something of an unpleasant battle getting that far to start with.

[shiromadoushi]

Aaa... un, most of us are more the side character types, aren't we? Aaa, that's a problem... [[so awkward. Yet at the same time so resigned...]]

But there's healing magic here, so as long as we're careful, it should be all right, right?

[noblehealer]

I don't think I've ever heard a story like that before.

[consultmybooks]

Haven't you? Well, I suppose it is a bit...specific, in details if not in moral.

In, um, in this specific case, I'm referring to a children's story. Something, um, m=meant to educate children for later life.

I believe the moral in the case of "Hansel and Gretel" was about resisting temptation.

[noblehealer]

Hm, I don;t think we had a story called that where I was from, but I wouldn't be surprised if I had come across something similar.

Will you tell me more about what this story was about? I'm very interested to know.

[consultmybooks]

Are you? [Well, that's a different and welcome change from the normal reaction Giles gets, bringing up old stories. He brightens up slightly.] Well, all right then.

I'll, um, I'll stick with the Grimm version, i-if it's all the same. Back home, ah, th-that one does seem to be most commonly referenced or drawn upon.

There were once two children, a girl called Gretel and, and her brother, Hansel. They lived deep in the woods with, um, with their father and his second wife.

The, the family didn't have very much. The father was, um, only a poor woodcutter. Finally, one night, his wife, um, drew him aside, after they'd sent the children to bed. She, um, she proposed...leading the children out into the woods, the following day, and leaving them to fend for themselves. That way, at least, she and her husband might not starve to death.

[noblehealer]

[Estelle sat there quietly listening, well, this story so far certainly was interesting, and not something she had come across before.]

Those poor children, being left in the woods all by themselves.

[consultmybooks]

Unfortunately for her plan, Hansel wasn't quite as asleep as she'd hoped. He overheard everything, told his sister and, um, made plans so that they might find their way back the following day. He went outside their house and, and gathered up some white pebbles that were scattered about their house, as many as he could carry.

The, um, the following day, their parents did indeed lead them very deep into the forest, under the pretense of getting their assistance in collecting firewood. Hansel, however, dropped pebbles all along the path. When night fell, he and his sister followed them home easily enough.

...sadly, their, um, their mother really did want them out that badly. she, she resolved to try again the next day. And then, well, Hansel and Gretel weren't quite as fortunate.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan can't stay up late. Didn't see forest at night.

Mutti told that story! Helped Faolan get away!

[consultmybooks]

...please don't tell me you actually considered eating someone's house before he told you, Faolan.

For one thing, that's, um, that's just bad manners.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Story helped Faolan get away from the bad men.

[consultmybooks]

[Oh. Well, that's a different story, then.]

That's...um, that's supposed to be, um, w-what they're there for. Stories like this, I mean. Helping children avoid trouble, or, or get out of it, should they stumble into it.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Didn't stumble. Ran. Broke window and ran. Lost them in woods. Then met Hawk.

[consultmybooks]

That was precisely what you should have done, Faolan. Um, it, it sounds as though you...managed very nicely.

[...he can't let it go.] Metaphorically stumble, I meant.

[shorterinperson]

It sounds vaguely familiar, but my brother was always more the type to read than I was.

[consultmybooks]

To be fair to you, it, um, it might not even be a story that exists in your world. Not in this specific incarnation, at least.

[shorterinperson]

Tales of children being stolen away in the night are certainly common enough.

[consultmybooks]

Oh, um, these two weren't stolen. They were abandoned, actually, and just...well, wandered into trouble, I suppose. They came across the house, as they were working to find their way home.

[shorterinperson]

And how did they escape, in the story?

[consultmybooks]

I hadn't even gotten to the bit when they'd been caught by the witch to start with.

She, um, she didn't notice them immediately, when they came across her house. But, having been wandering the woods for hours on end, and, um, not having had very much to eat to start with, the children soon began eating the place.

Although she lured them in with the disguise of a kindly old woman, she, um, she soon got them both locked in a cage, with the intent of feeding them until they were fat enough to eat. She, um, intended to start with the boy.