Power Without a Price

[curiousdiscoverer]

The first time Ezra finds Milliways he spends most of the experience overwhelmed by psychic sensory overload. Postcognition doesn’t really mix well with inter-dimensional nexus.

However when he walks out and tells about the experience, the true nature of the place is eventually revealed, furthermore he discovers that the Traders are very interested in using the unique location to seed magic to other worlds and they pay very generously for it. So Ezra’s family all hear about the story and stay in the look out for another door, just in case.

Years pass, and Ezra’s family gets a little smaller, and starting wishing for a door to show up.

Because resurrection is possible, but expensive and bringing three people back is impossibly costly without extreme circumstances.

So Ezra feels extremely lucky the day he finally finds a door again, with family in his apartment where they wait behind after Ezra grabs a few things while Temps holds the door.

He is now in better control of his powers and Milliways massive history doesn’t overload him anymore.

Ezra looks around the bar, sits on a table with a nice view and observes.

Is anyone here that could want and deserve magic?

Comments

[can_i_stay]

"Sure thing. Hey, Lucy, let's build a card tower. I bet we can use three decks before it falls down."

[can_i_go]

While everyone else sleeps Ann and Lucy build a card tower, sample strange foods from the bar and nap in a pile. As promised they're even mostly alert when Sabrina wakes up.

[mage_see_mage_do]

The next day (or as far as the concept applies in Milliways), Temperance wakes up fully restored. Ezra is well rested too, but since he doesn't want to do anything more strenuous than trying to find other magical candidates and reading, because he will need to pull a double shift at infusing soon enough.

But "soon enough" it is a couple of days away. Milliways is interesting but being a cooped up is boring, Temperance comes up with the idea of a hiking/expedition to the cave mountains and the woods. The Bar said the place is safe and you can't even get lost because you always find yourself back to the lake.

Franklyn is totally up with the idea so they present it to the sisters.

"We can get some hiking gear," Temperance says "maybe sleeping backs and we could make a bonfire and toast marshmallows. What do you guys think?"

[can_i_stay]

The sisters are all for the idea.

"I should probably get a book of all the most common plants and animals out there, in case someone finds herself interested in them. Have you three hiked before? We used to, but haven't lately."

[can_i_help]

"I think the last time was before we turned seventeen, so that would be five years ago."

[mage_see_mage_do]

"Ezra isn't going" Temperance says "We all have, but Franklyn has the most experience. He has this not-exactly-girlfriend-yet that is really into it and even teaches basic survival skills for kids. The book sounds like an nice idea!"

Franklyn will offer to get things from Bar, but he accepts help if offered. Temperance will go tell Ezra and get the relevant personal belongs.

[can_i_go]

Lucy's going with Franklyn so she can get the exact shoes she wants. She also has opinions on the food they're going to take with them, mainly that there should be lots of it and did Frank know that the Bar has fruits that don't grow on earth?

[of_all_trades]

Frank did not know that and is glad by the idea! He offers to split seeds 50/50 so they can try plant them back home.

The preparations proceed, they get the book Ann suggested and a series of "directions" from Bar, which are more very vague advice to find interesting things. There are no buildings outside now, but they might find remains, or at least look at some pretty scenery and enjoy a bonfire with tasty s'mores.

They arrange everything quickly and should have food for more than day, is there anything they could have forgotten? Any new ideas?

[can_i_go]

Well, they can always come back, can't they?

"Let's go, let's go! The earlier we leave the further we can walk."

Lucy is close to vibrating in excitement.

[mage_see_mage_do]

Lucy enthusiasm is contagious.

Temperance explains that many people had the idea to hide things in Milliways and its surroundings, not always successfully because many people also had the idea to try finding things as well, but the Bar offered directions to things likely to still be there.

First stop, is a tree that would look like an large oak, but it bears fruits that hang from long tendrils. The fruits are like egg-sized berries that start to glow once you pick them up, each one has it's color.

"The Bar said they can glow for a whole day," Temperance explains "and there is some easy brewing process to use them for glowing ink."

[can_i_help]

Sabrina picks and looks at it. It glows in a bright color between green and yellow.

"It's nice Lucy isn't ten anymore. Telling her not to eat random things she finds in the forest got old fast. How many of these are we taking with us? I'd hope we'll find something even more interesting, but you never know."

[can_i_stay]

"I want one in red, that's the best color for a nightlight."

The one Ann picked is off-white.

[mage_see_mage_do]

"They aren't poisonous," Temperance explains "but they aren't tasty either. We can discard excess berries when we find more interesting stuff. I want to bring the seeds..." then Temperance picks one and starts to glow blue-purple "and this one."

Temperance turns to Franklyn.

"But lets try keeping below twenty."

Franklyn empties his pockets, who had quite in fact way more than twenty berries already.

[can_i_go]

Lucy picks eight berries randomly and gets a whole rainbow and one extra red one. She throws the extra one to Ann, who easily catches it.

"This luck thing comes super handy. Does anyone else have specific colors they want?"

[mage_see_mage_do]

"This is actually my favorite color," Temperance says waving her blue-purple berry before pocketing it.

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn lifts his hands.

"Give me just three more," Franklyn asks "I wanna see in what color they will glow."

[can_i_go]

They are turquoise, bright pink and dark yellow. Lucy chucks each one to Franklyn.

"I wonder if that means anything."

[of_all_trades]

"Beats me," Franklyn said putting the berries in his shirt pockets, where they glow "maybe it will be a MacGuffin that saves us later."

[mage_see_mage_do]

"That could happen," Temperance says "but I don't put much faith on it."

Just for fun Temps picks another berry, it glows baby-blue, she then throws the berry in the air and it lands neatly in her shirt pocket.

"Shall we go?"

[of_all_trades]

"You are still with Lucy's power?" Franklyn asks.

[mage_see_mage_do]

Temperance wasn't looking at anyone direction, she was expecting the tree taller branches, her face isn't directly visible to anyone. Which is lucky.

She feels it is lucky, she can tell it was a subtle influence of the luck power, and can even if the power colliding with something, which could only be Lucy's own power.

It is lucky she isn't looking anyone direction because she is a little disturbed, the sensation is ominous.

"I like it," Temperance says with a smile "we need to gather all information on her power we can get, we might never see them again."

huh, what a lucky thing to say.

[can_i_go]

The three sisters ignore what the Graysons are doing, as Lucy has just discovered that magical luck is a helpful thing to have while juggling.

Finally Ann and Sabrina get her to stop. Luck or no luck, she shouldn't juggle and walk, and Lucy reluctantly puts the berries away and the whole group can continue walking.

It's only ten minutes until Lucy stops again.

This time she sees something shiny in the undergrowth. She picks it up, and holds it up to the sunlight. It's a simple silver bangle with a few milky white gems in a row. It also doesn't glow like magical people do, but it is pretty.

[can_i_help]

"Lucy, are you sure that's s-"

Sabrina stops and reconsiders.

"I'll never get used to this," she mutters. Out loud she says: "Of course, you wouldn't have found it if it wasn't safe. Come on, let's continue."

[mage_see_mage_do]

"I almost sure that the power can influence decisions," Temperance says "My advice is that you just trust your instinct at the specific moment. Lucy is lucky, but not invulnerable, lucky is overall better, but there is still room where invulnerability wins," Temps shrugs "I think that with time you are going to find the new proper balance."

[can_i_help]

Sabrina gives a hard-to-decipher look at Lucy, but doesn't say anything.